Kingdom Hearts: Depereo Astrum
by Kristen Verne
Summary: [Set post KH3. Contains spoilers for KH3 and Re:Mind] Sora is gone. Kairi has woken from her year-long slumber to the hope of finding him again. However, this journey is one she will have to take alone. At least, she thought so, until she ends up in a crowded city full of people and new friends who help her search for Sora. And then there's him... the one searching for someone...
1. Chapter 1

**I got this idea while theorizing about what could happening the game between KH3 and KH4. With all the hints we have, it looks like that game will be a Kairi game (****_Thank you Nomura!_****). And while theorizing all the different things, I came up with this idea.**

**This is not your typical KH game/story and I did that on purpose. **

**Kingdom Hearts (c) to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Without further ado... here is:**

**Kingdom Hearts: Depereo Astrum**

* * *

_"I've been having these weird thoughts lately...  
like is any of this for real or not?_

_..._

_None of this, makes sense to me..."_

* * *

**Chapter 1- Bad Dreams**

* * *

"No sign of the boy..."

"What a bummer."

Riku rubbed the heaviness out of his eyes as best he could; Yuffie yelped, snapping him back to reality just as an older woman in a blue robe appeared in the room.

"Fairy Godmother!" Aerith gasped. Ok, so they knew her.

The fairy godmother laughed lightly. "Oh-ho-ho, I hope I didn't startle you."

"Not at all." Leon assured her. "What brings you here?"

"Well dear, I was asked to come by Merlin and Master Yen Sid. Now where is... Oh! Riku! Riku is his name."

"Here." The young man stepped forward, earnestly hoping she had some news from the two wizards. "I'm Riku."

She smiled, holding her wand lightly. "Why it's nice to meet you. Now," her brows knitted slightly, "I'd like you to tell me about the dreams that you've been having, dear."

"Huh? My dreams?" Dreams? Why would she be asking ab- Oh. Riku did tell Mickey he was having dreams. Guess his friend passed that news along. "There's one… It was dark, and I was surrounded by tall buildings. I was looking around for Sora, when I felt someone watching me from way up high."

"And!?"

"And that's all I remember." There was more to the dream. He knew it, but every time he woke up, he could only remember part of it.

Cid and Yuffie groaned, voicing his own inner frustration. "But what happens next!?"

Fairy Godmother smiled. "Oh, I know."

"Huh!?"

"But why Riku's dream?"

The older woman looked at them with kind eyes, calmly addressing their frustrations. "Oh, because Master Yen Sid was worried. You weren't having any luck finding Sora. And because Riku had been in Sora's dreams before, he thought perhaps Riku just may be the key. That's why he and Merlin asked me to come here and look into his dreams, since of course dreams are my specialty."

"So, Riku's dreams might… hold the key?"

"Yes, dear. I'm sure there's something there that leads to Sora." Her eyes drifted to Riku.

But the boy didn't know what to think. He and the others searched for a year, and Kairi slept, her heart monitored and observed for any clue to Sora.

A year.

Did they finally have a lead?

"In my dreams…?"

The woman chuckled. "And… the other two."

* * *

"You sure she's ok?"

"Just give her a minute to come out of the sedation."

Light blossomed in Kairi's vision. Shapes, blurred, moved within her vision. She blinked, the shapes clearing with each blink. Ienzo's soft gaze finally came clear.

"Ienzo…" She rasped, her throat dry from lack of use.

The young man pressed a button on the side of her chair, sitting her up just a little before gently removing the IV in her arm, replacing it with a cotton swab. He smiled, holding up a glass of water. "Here." Gently, he held the back of her head and helped her drink the water. "Think you can hold the glass?"

"Uh huh." Her hand shakily came up, both hands grabbing the glass to steady it as she drank the water. After a time, letting the water sooth her dry throat. "How long… how long was I asleep?"

Ansem the Wise stepped into view, holding a clipboard. "It has been about a year."

"A year…?" Kairi looked down at her glass of water, staring into the clear liquid. "Have I helped in any way? Did you find anything to lead us to Sora?"

Ansem nodded. "We found a few things and have relayed them to the others. You have the strongest connection to Sora out of everyone, including Roxas. But that's not why we woke you up."

"Then why?"

"We asked them to, dear." Fairy Godmother glided over, followed by Riku.

Kairi smiled at the sight of her friend, but… he looked out of it. He had what could be considered a smile, maybe. He just looked… dare she say, a little depressed. "Why? Has something happened?"

"Master Yen Sid might have an idea of a way to find Sora. And he wants both of us."

"Well, she's going to have to wait a moment." Even huffed. "She's been asleep for a year." He and Ienzo helped turn her, so Kairi's legs dangled off the edge of the small bed. "Kairi, can you move your legs for me."

Before the girl moved, a soft light covered her body, filling her with renewed energy. Warmth spread all across her body as Fairy Godmother lightly laughed. "Or I could help her."

"Or that…"

Kairi slipped off the bed, her legs shaking for a moment as her feet hit the floor. Only for a moment. Then she felt strength enter them. "Thank you. All of you."

"You are very welcome." Ansem smiled. "We will continue to look into the data we've gathered. If we find anything, we will let you all know."

"Thank you, Ansem."

Fairy Godmother nodded. "If you two are ready, we can go." Both teens nodded. The fairy waved her wand in the air.

Kairi blinked, still unsure if she was still dreaming as white light filled her vision, flashing her mind back to her dreams.

Dreams.

Lonely dreams.

Wandering the land of sea and sky all alone. Searching.

That world, it felt like her and Sora's world. She was sure she'd find him there. Someday, somehow, she would find him there, in that world.

The light faded away, the familiar setting of Master Yen Sid's office coming into focus. Both the owner of the tower and Merlin coming into view. The smaller wizard, with the longer beard, quickly averted his gaze.

He'd apologized up and down after Sora vanished, claiming he didn't train her correctly. Blaming himself for the fact that she was captured and that Sora had to sacrifice himself.

Blaming himself…

There was a lot of that going around.

Yen Sid looked at them, concern flashing in his eyes. "I am glad you both are here. We too have been searching for Sora, and we believe the two of you hold the key. Riku, you dove into Sora's dreams and have a connection to his dreams. And Kairi, the connection between your heart and Sora's is one of the strongest connections I have ever seen in all my life."

"Fairy Godmother said there was supposed to be one more. Who is the third?"

Kairi flinched at Riku's voice. He sounded so… emotionless. Like he was holding back all emotion within him.

"That would be me." A light voice piped as a small poof of smoke appeared on the desk.

"Chirithy?"

"Good to see you again, Kairi." He hopped off the desk, scampering toward the two. "Ven asked me to help out here while he was in the Realm of Darkness."

"Kairi," Riku knelt down toward the creature, "how do you two know each other?"

"Sora introduced us." Kairi's voice came out softly. "Chirithy is a friend of Ven's."

Fairy Godmother cleared her throat. "I hate to interrupt, but we should begin."

Yen Sid nodded. "I agree. Riku, Mickey told me you were having strange dreams. I believe the dreams could possibly lead us to Sora. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the dreams have had something to do with Sora?"

"They have."

"That's all I needed to know." He glanced at the fairy. "We can begin. Riku, we will put you to sleep and see this dream of yours and use it to find Sora. Are you alright with that?"

"Yes! Anything to help find Sora."

That was the first sign of strong emotion he'd shown since Kairi woke up. What happened to him during that year she was sleeping?

Fairy Godmother flicked her wand and a bed appeared. Riku nearly jumped onto the bed, allowing magic to pull him into sleep in seconds.

Kairi slumped to her knees beside Chirithy. Ever since she woke up, it was just go, go, go.

Her stomach growled as Chirithy approached, the little Dream Eater laying his paw on her hand. "How long have you been awake?"

"Ten minutes… maybe."

"After sleeping a year? Kairi, you need to rest. And you sound hungry."

Kairi heard a poof behind her before a set of old hands touched her shoulders. "Kairi, come sit."

Merlin. She smiled up at the old wizard. "Thank you." She allowed him to help her to a table with comfy fluffy chair. A blanket magically settled over her lap and a soft pillow behind her head.

On the table, a little white teacup with pink primroses painted on the side hopped over and into her hands as the teapot sauntered over, pouring aromatic rose tea into the cup. The sassy sugar dish came over and put a spoonful of sugar into her cup along with a small stirring spoon.

Scones full of strawberries and muffins with chocolate chips popped into existence before her.

"Thank you, Merlin."

"Don't thank me…"

The girl bit her lip, searching for words to comfort the old man. She opened her mouth, only for the fairy to suddenly light up the air over Riku's sleeping form.

All eyes turned as the light turned into a circle of magic, showing a scene from Riku's point of view.

_A city. _

_A black night sky with the moon and stars peaking between the buildings. Riku looked around him, his gaze moving quickly, searching for something. Something that seemed to make Riku nervous. _

_He turned around. _

_A man in a black coat, just like the ones the Organization used to wear, began walking down the street, his back to Riku. _

_"__Wait!" Riku called, chasing after the figure. As he got close, the figure teleported ahead of him. Over and over this happened. Riku would get close. The figure would teleport away. _

_Until, he came up to a tall spire made entirely out of shining blue crystal. The figure led Riku and into the tower and down a flight of stairs. _

_The stairs spiraled down, lit by dim lightbulbs every few feet. _

_The stairs opened up into a wide room of black stone. At the end of the room stood a pair of black doors that looked like a dark version of the doors to Kingdom Hearts. _

_The figure in black approached the doors. _

_With a creak, the doors swung open. Moonlight streamed out of the door, showering the room in a showing a land of sky and sea. But a sky of night. _

_In the moonlight stood a tall girl, her hair and dress fluttering lightly against her. _

_Beside her… _

_"__Sora!"_

_The man in the coat, standing before the doors, spread his arms dramatically. The doors slammed shut. _

_Darkness burst from the door, engulfing Riku's vision. _

"Wha!?" Riku sat up, the dream disappearing.

Kairi felt her heart thudding as she swallowed a piece of a muffin. Hope…

She felt warmth in her heart.

The last time she felt this warmth was the last time Sora held her hand. The day he vanished.

The warmth left with his hand.

Now…

"Did you see it?" Riku rubbed his eyes. "I can't remember anything other than what I normally remember."

"You saw him… you saw Sora." Kairi spoke little more than a whisper.

"I did!? Can you find him now!?"

Yen Sid smiled slightly. "We can try now." Riku slipped off the table, going over to Kairi, who handed him half of a scone.

Kairi clutched her teacup as Fairy Godmother waved her wand, moving the swirling magical circle between her and Yen Sid. The wizard held out his hands, magic engulfing the circle; Merlin and Fairy Godmother pointed their wands at it, the glow flashing. Light dripped off the magic circle, hitting the ground with soft pink sparks.

With one last flash, the circle vanished.

"Oh…"

"Well, this is going to be a little more difficult…"

"What?" Chirithy looked up at the three. "What's more difficult?"

Yen Sid moved swiftly to a shelf. His hands running along the spines of books before he pulled at an old text, the red leather binding shuddering at the touch. Dust scattered as the wizard drew the book out and opened it with a single movement. His fingers dancing across the pages.

"This is going to be very difficult to do. It is almost unheard of, and I do not know of anyone who has attempted it before."

Riku's eye twitched slightly before he snapped. "What are you talking about!?"

The old master looked up, his brows knitted seriously. "Sora is not in this world at all. And I do not mean in this specific world that we stand in now; he is not in this worldline(1)."

"Worldline…?"

"A worldline is an alternate reality." Chirithy piped. "I had a feeling this would happen… I warned him… I told Sora! I told him that if he used the power of waking to save Kairi he would vanish from this world and lose the power of waking! Without that power, he can't bring himself back! But, he did it anyway… Getting to another worldline is not going to be like jumping from world to world."

Kairi stared into her teacup. "An alternate reality… but how could we get to him there? We can't use the power of waking or we'd end up in the same situation as him."

"Exactly," Riku huffed, "we need another way there."

Merlin sighed. "You two are far too reckless. You do realize that this is another worldline we're talking about. We have no idea what could be over there. We would be sending you to a place we know absolutely nothing about."

"I don't care." Kairi stood up, teacup still in her hand. "I want to find him, no matter what."

The fairy godmother waved her hands in a placating gesture. "We know, deary. And don't think we aren't going to act on this. We just want to make sure we go about this in the best and safest way possible."

Kairi slumped back into her chair, silently sipping the remaining tea as the three older people discussed quietly, Chirithy joining them.

Riku leaned over the table slightly. "Chirithy said he warned Sora… and he still did it regardless."

"He's too heroic for his own good…" Kairi set the teacup on the table, letting it hop across the table to the rest of the tea set. "He told me goodbye and gave me something, but he didn't tell me he was going to disappear until it was happening."

"What did Sora give you?"

Kairi pulled a small card out of her pocket. "Sora said Luxord gave it to him, said it was a 'wild car', and Luxord told him it might 'turn the tides'. Sora told me to hold onto it for safe keeping."

"What-what was the last thing Sora told you?"

"I'd rather not say."

Those words were private. They were hers alone.

The sentence that told her he would be vanishing… but somehow she knew that would happen. Deep in her heart, she knew something wasn't right. But those last few words sealed the deal.

…

_"__Kairi… I love you…"_

…

* * *

How long those four stood over that book, Kairi would never know. She ate, drank, and slept in that chair. Riku slumped over in a corner, napping on and off.

Kairi let herself drift off, but she could never fall into a deep sleep.

A year of sleeping probably keeping her from that rest.

The little flowery teacup did its best to entertain her, and Kairi appreciated it. After all, she painted that cup herself. Merlin let her during their training, then he brought it to life.

She never told Axel or the wizard, but she'd named the little piece of china. Ayaka.

"Kairi. Riku." Yen Sid finally turned back to them. His face looked tired, but there was a determined glint visible.

Riku jumped up. "Then let's go!"

The wizard held up a hand. "Riku, you cannot go."

"What!? Why?"

"The connection between your heart and Sora's is not strong enough to make the journey."

Riku stared at the wizard in silence for a moment, his face paling slightly. "Wait… what…?"

"Your dreams are the key to reaching the other worldline, but you cannot make that journey. Only one person has a strong enough bond with Sora to make the journey."

All eyes turned to Kairi.

"Me… I have to go alone?"

Chirithy waved from the desk. "Nope, I'll go too. You need a guide. And well," he turned around, tossing his little cape up to reveal a heart symbol, "I am a dream eater, so who better to guide you. You'll have to dive into Riku's dreams and find the gate from there."

"Then… let's do this now! I've waited long enough."

"Hold on." Riku stepped forward. "Don't you want to prepare. You just woke up, and you are probably out of practice after being asleep for a year. Not to mention, you've never made a journey like this before. Are you sure you're ready for this?"

The princess raised an eyebrow. "I think I'll be just fine. I have Chirithy with me, and I won't stop until I bring Sora home."

"Well your track record on missions hasn't exactly been the best."

As soon as the words left Riku's mouth, his eyes widened. His own mouth fell open as if he couldn't believe he'd just said…

"What!? That I get kidnapped constantly!? Oh thanks for all the encouragement, Riku! Not like I've had a year of wandering my dreams, feeling like dirt because Sora is gone, AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" She turned, face burning. "I'm going to get some air. When I get back. We're going!"

Kairi stormed out, thudding down the stairs.

Her friend… one of her best friends, stared after her. His hands shaking as he stumbled after her. "Kairi, wait!"

Down the stairs, onto the grass. The girl stared up at the stars, trying to ignore her friend as he came after her.

"Kairi, look. I didn't mean it that way. I ju-"

"Well it sure sounded like you meant it that way…"

She felt his hand grab her arm gently. She turned, looking into his teal eyes.

Eyes bloodshot with tears. Too many tears shed.

Eyes ringed with dark circles. The sleepless nights taking their tolls.

Water. Droplets of water pooled at the corners of his eyes as his body shook. "I didn't mean it like that… I didn't. It's just… I-" His free hand clenched as he looked into her face. "Sora vanished. And then you went to sleep. I've been alone for a year… searching… And now you're going off. Kairi. I'm scared. I've lost one best friend… I don't want to lose another."

The girl blinked, her own tears beginning to form.

"It's been hard, hasn't it?" She whispered. "I'm sorry."

"No, _I'm_ sorry. I shouldn't have said that back there. You're strong, Kairi. You always have been. If anyone can find Sora, you can; and when you're together, there's nothing you can't do."

Kairi smiled, at least, as best a smile as she could muster. "Riku… I'll find him, and we'll both be back. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that."

"And I want you to promise me something. Don't be alone. Go find the others, our friends. You're starting to brood again… you sound like you've locked up all emotion(2), just like before. Don't do that again. Promise me, you'll find the others and stop brooding."

"Ok… I promise."

The two, side-by-side, walked up the stairs.

Two beds laid in the middle of the study. One for each of them.

Wordlessly, they laid down. Chirithy hopped up beside Kairi. "I'll meet you inside!" A wand waved. Magic cast. And a deep sleep fell over them both…

* * *

It felt like only a minute or two passed before Riku felt himself waking again. He sat up, glancing over at Kairi.

The girl's body glowed a soft blue.

The glow intensified for a moment before it faded away- Kairi's body fading away with it.

Riku felt his heart leap into his throat, memories of that fateful day with Sora coming back in spades.

"D-did she make it…?"

"… We don't know."

…

"Kairi… please, be safe…"

* * *

Footnotes

(1) Worldlines were introduced in Union Cross.

(2) This is my interpretation as to why Riku sounded so robotic in the Limit Cut episode.


	2. Chapter 2

**So glad you guys are enjoying this story! **

**Thank you for all the support! **

**Now, typically I don't do music cues, but this first part, in italics, I recommend listening to "The Final World" OST during it.**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Culture Shock**

* * *

_You want to know about my home?_

_…_

_Alright then._

_Long ago, warriors wielding key-shaped swords fought for control of a great light, but I'm sure you know this part of the story already. The war, the death, and the strong darkness shattered the land apart._

_The light itself shattered too. _

_As darkness began to close in what remained of the light, the light, and those who still remained at its side, came together. The light formed a crystal(1), pure and bright. It drove the darkness back behind a door. I believe you've seen this door, or a version of it once before. _

_All darkness. Even death itself. All of it behind a single door. The crystal built itself above the door, keeping it shut. _

_The land that once stood, now shattered, gathered all that was left around the light of the crystal. One world huddled around the light like people around a campfire. _

_Gaillus(2)._

_This is what they called the land. My home._

_And though the light kept the darkness mostly at bay, every three generations, those dark doors would open. Each time, a new kind of darkness would escape and try to destroy Gaillus. _

_Once, came a monster called Sin._

_Then a creature of the void called Chaos. _

_Cultists calling themselves Paragons.(3)_

_And many, many more. _

_Most recently, a malicious AI named Anax came out of the door. _

_Uh… what's an AI?_

_An artificial intelligence, basically a fake mind in a computer that someone made. It took over our technology and created robots called Gigas. _

_So, how did you stop it? Or is it still running loose._

_We were able to quell it, and it will eventually end completely. _

_People knew that the doors would open, but there was always a way to stop the darkness. The royal blood would bear a champion, and a noble family would bear a maiden. Born on the same day, at the very same time as the champion. _

_The maiden, raised from birth to push back the darkness would remain by the champion's side. When the door opened, he would defend her. _

_She would harness all the magic within her to seal the gate, preventing more darkness from escaping. Shutting the gate with the very essence of her being. But to seal the door, her physical form had to perish. _

_The champion…_

_Her dearest friend… _

_Would have to slay her. Then, her name… and most people's memory of her would vanish. They remembered she lived, but nothing more about her. Only the champion would recall their fondest moments together. _

_But, the door would close. And the darkness would stop. _

_But- but that's terrible! Why would anyone do anything like that? Why would they allow someone to just die like that!? And the champion, how could he kill his dear friend? It's not fair!_

_Perhaps… but it was our way of life. _

_But at least there will be peace for three more generations._

_Did this… happen recently?_

_Yes._

_I was the maiden… _

_My champion. My dearest friend. I believe you've met. _

_Yozora._

_He was your champion…? He attacked me._

_Sorry about that. He took what I asked him a little too far. But his intentions were good… _

_If you say so. You told me that they took your name, but please tell me that you remember it._

_Oh yes… I did tell you that. _

_My name is… _

* * *

Kairi felt cold wash over her, like falling into the sea. Slowly, she drifted down.

Light shone behind her as she fell, feet touching a solid surface.

Her eyes roamed the ground beneath her. A shimmering floor of stained glass, bearing an image of herself lay beneath her feet.

Sora's face lay in the glass, his hand up, holding a Paopu fruit. Kairi knelt down, laying her hand on the glass face.

"Sora." A tear splashed onto the image, glittering like the floor. "I'll find you."

"Of course you will." Poof. Chirithy appeared beside her.

"You're here."

The dream eater nodded. "We're partners in this. Now, we should get going. Sora's waiting."

"You're right."

Kairi stood, glancing once more at the stained glass. She saw Riku's face and Naminé's in the glass. And the face of an old woman… her grandmother. Oh, how little she remembered of her own family of her childhood.

"This way, Kairi! I need you to reach out to Riku's heart. I can connect your dreams to his. Remember, his dreams hold the path to Sora."

Riku's heart.

Kairi closed her eyes, reaching out with her heart. Reaching for her dear friend. Her friend, who had been through so much, made so many mistakes, but still went out of his way to make sure she and Sora were safe. No matter what happened to him. Her friend who'd grown so much since she'd met him all those years ago…

_"__Hi Kairi. I'm Riku. It's nice to meet you."_

That boy with a sincere smile.

_"__You and Sora are so reckless. You could've died."_

The big brother she'd never had.

_"__And you're just as lazy as he is."_

Teasing her always.

_"__You're strong, Kairi. You always have been. If anyone can find Sora, you can; and when you're together, there's nothing you can't do."_

But he believed in her still.

Just like brothers do.

A door appeared. Out of the darkness, a doorway. The wood, a soft palm wood, felt smooth as Kairi's hand touched it. "Is this it?"

"Yes."

The princess pushed, both doors creaking open. This was it, Kairi felt Riku. She felt him and all the hope he held. All the support he had for her.

That he'd always had for her and for Sora.

_"__Riku, where are we going?" _

_"__You'll see." _

_Sora, Riku, and Kairi stepped out of the small cave into a cove. A cove full of flowers. Kairi gasped, _

_Wind pulled through the flowers, scattering the flowers, sending the petals into the sky. _

_"__I heard you liked flowers, Kairi. Sora and I thought you would like it. So… happy birthday, Kairi."_

Kairi stepped through the door, falling inside the darkness within. Flower petals rushed past her, enveloping her in their warmth; she closed her eyes as she slipped deeper into the dream.

Slipping away until all feeling vanished.

* * *

_Kairi…_

_Kairi…_

_Kai…ri…_

"Sora?" Kairi sat up, gasping for breath.

"Are you alright, Miss?"

The girl blinked, looking up at a woman who stood beside her. The woman stared at her with kind eyes. She wore clothes similar to pictures Kairi had seen of nuns or priests; a white cloth draped around her head. Her dress a soft violet with accents of yellow, red, and pink.

Kairi glanced around the room. The stone room with tapestries seemed warm and inviting with a burning fire at the end.

"Where am I?"

"The temple of Asura(4)." The woman reached down, helping Kairi sit up against the back of the bed. "Someone brought you here after they found you passed out in an alley. You've been asleep for two days. We were worried when our healing spells didn't wake you up."

Kairi looked down at her hands. Was she still dreaming or had she come to the other worldline?

"I fell through a door…"

"You fell, poor thing." She smiled. "My name is Fay; I'm a cleric of Asura. I've been watching over you for these last two days. You haven't been sick nor injured, which is strange considering you said you fell. But we were concerned when you wouldn't awaken. What is your name, young lady?"

"Kairi."

Fay picked up a glass of water, handing it to the girl. "Well, Kairi, I'm glad you're awake. Here, drink this. I'll get you some breakfast." She moved out of the room, her skirts billowing around her.

As soon as the door closed, Kairi downed the glass of water. "Chirithy? Are you here?"

Poof.

"Yeah, I'm here." He hopped across the bed and into Kairi's lap. "Sorry about hiding like that. This world doesn't seem to be one I can just walk around in. They don't have things like me."

"So, we made it to the other worldline? We're not still dreaming?"

"We made it!"

"Good. So, sounds like you've been scoping things out."

"Of course! And, I hate to say it, but this is really not going to be easy. This world is huge!"

Kairi let out a long sigh. "Of course, nothing is simple. But if we can find that door from Riku's dream, it should lead us to Sora."

"And the door is in a crystal tower."

The door jiggled, the handle turning. Chirithy popped out of sight just as Fay walked back in carrying a steaming bowl and a spoon. "Here you go. I have some oatmeal with raisins for you. I hope that's to your liking."

"That's just fine. By the way, how long do you want for me to stay here?" Kairi took the bowl and began shoveling the oatmeal into her mouth.

Fay walked around the room, straightening up things around the room as she spoke. "Whenever you wish to go, you may."

"Thank you."

Kairi quickly finished off her food. "Well, I'm actually looking for someone, so I think I'll leave soon, but thank you for your hospitality."

"You are most welcome, Kairi."

Kairi pushed back the blanket and swung her legs off the bed. Her bare feet hit the soft rug beneath her feet. Her socks lay neatly folded beside her boots. She slipped them on before moving toward the door.

"Thank you again for your hospitality, Miss Fay."

"You are welcome, young lady. Remember, should you need somewhere to go and have nowhere else to go, any Astral temple will take care of you." She bowed as Kairi left.

A long hallway lined with bookshelves stretched down to a large room filled with other people dressed like Fay. Two doors, made of heavy oak wood, lay open, to a street.

Kairi jogged outside onto the sidewalk. Enormous buildings towered overhead, blocking the morning sun. People pushed and shoved across the sidewalks, moving to their jobs or to school.

The girl paused, mouth agape as she took in such a sight.

"Hey, move it." Someone pushed past her.

Kairi stumbled back, bumping into someone else. "Watch it!"

No matter where she went…

"Get out of the way!"

"Watch where you're going!"

"You're in the way!"

Kairi ducked into an alley, taking a long breath to calm her racing heart. Why was everyone so ru-

Her eyes looked up to see two people making out… seriously making out in front of her in the alley.

She'd rather risk the street.

Jumping into the sea of pedestrians, she followed the flow of people into a large open area. Above her towered a white building with the numbers 104(5) on the top.

Less people seemed to be entering the building, so she ducked inside.

"A mall?"

She'd been to the mall on the main island many times… but this. This was huge! 5 floors of stores!? Well… at least she could look around. Maybe she could find a picture or a book about the crystal tower she needed to find.

Honestly, she just didn't want to be out in the streets right now.

She wouldn't be able to find Sora if she was totally frazzled and unable to think straight due to the shock of her new surroundings. So, why not just stay in the mall for a while? (And no, the cute clothes and non-stop-shopping totally didn't influence this decision of hers.)

And it worked like she'd hoped. Walking around, window shopping; it all calmed her down. There was a normalcy about it… something she'd do with Selphie, or even Sora and Riku sometimes. It made her feel calm.

For a little bit.

The hours ticked by, and her stomach began to complain. Of course, she was happy to sate it's cries… but-

"What's gil?" Kairi counted the munny in her hand as she stood near a small fried octopus stand. People were buying food, but with something other than munny. No this, this was different. Metal coins called gil.

Which Kairi did not have.

At all.

How was she to get food then!?

Not only that, but nature called… and while she found the bathroom, she had to PAY for toilet paper.

And not to mention the toilet… it was a hole in the floor(6).

Kairi leaned against the back wall, letting out a choking breath.

"Kairi, calm down." Chirithy poofed into existence, landing in Kairi's arms.

"I am calm, just overwhelmed. I've never been in a place like this. Its so strange… no one is nice on the street. I can't buy food or anything, including toilet paper. And how do I even use the bathroom with this thing(7)? This is not what I thought would happen."

The dream eater patted the girl's hand. "Maybe go find one of those Astral temples Fay told you about. They seem quieter than… well anywhere else."

"Yeah, maybe that would be best. Just hope I can make it there without a nervous breakdown or two."

"You can do it. Just take a deep breath. All of this will pass, and you'll get used to this place over time."

"Yeah…" Kairi let out a long breath. She could do this. She could do this.

Chirithy vanished as Kairi stepped out of the bathroom stall and walked out. Down the stairs. Three floors down. The security guard by the door looked up as the princess stopped beside him. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Um, where is the nearest Astral temple?"

"The Divine Decem. It's two blocks that way." He pointed to the west. "Stone building in the conglomerate of modern buildings."

"Thanks."

"You ok, ma'am?"

"Yeah, just had a rough day." She put on her most convincing smile and kept walking. Two blocks to the west. Across the annoying crowded square. Down one block. And then to the second.

There it was. A stone building in the midst of tall modern ones.

"There."

Kairi pushed open the oak door.

The large room before her, looked like something out of a castle, but with electric lights. The back wall of the room was semi-circled with small inset places. Shrines sat in each inlet(8).

"Hello! Welcome!"

A girl, probably only a year or two older than Riku, strode over. She wore an outfit similar to Fey, but this dress was brown with red, yellow, and orange accents.

"Hello. Is this a Astral temple?"

"Indeed it is. I am Zoraida, cleric of Brynhildr. And your name?"

"Kairi."

Zoraida smiled warmly. "Well, Kairi. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. How may I help you?"

"I have no money and nowhere to stay. I was told I could find help here."

"And you can." The girl took Kairi's hand, leading her further into the temple. "Warm meals, and a bed for the night."

Kairi gave a relieved smile. Such a long day… and it wasn't completely over. But at least she had a place of peace for now. Zoraida led her into a small bedroom with a chest and bed.

"Here you go, Kairi. So, please tell me, what's troubling you?"

"Huh?"

"It's part of my job. I'm here to listen to your troubles too, and honestly you look like you need to talk to someone."

Kairi blushed slightly. Gosh, seriously, was it that obvious? "I just came from out of town… I-I've never been to a city this big. I guess I have a few things to get used to."

"Culture shock. It happens." Zoraida blinked suddenly cocking her head to the side. "So, what brought you to Tokyo?"

What to say? What to tell her?

"I'm looking for a tower made of crystal."

Zoraida's eyes lit up. "Of course, I'm heading that direction tomorrow. I have to go train the prince, and I go that way."

"Train the… prince?"

"Oh yeah." The cleric laughed. "I am not only a cleric here, but I work for the military as well. I train the prince and those who work with him in magic. I'm a mage, a powerful one too."

"That's cool."

"Yeah, it is." Zoraida jumped to her feet. "Now, I'll let you rest. Dinner will be in the hall upstairs at five. There are some books in the chest. Just get some rest."

"Thank you."

The cleric sauntered off, humming happily. As soon as the door closed, Kairi flopped onto the bed, not even moving as Chirithy appeared. "Hi."

"Well, you found a place to stay for the night. And hey, if you can't find any other place to stay, you can always stay at other places like these."

The princess of heart rolled over on the bed, smushing her face into a pillow. "I want to eat, but I want to sleep."

"Stress will do that."

Kairi closed her eyes, sighing. "Wake me when it's dinner time."

"Sure."

Kairi drifted away into sleep…

* * *

Riku sat on the Paopu tree, staring off into the sunset. He'd come back here after Kairi left… not really knowing where else to go.

He felt so tired.

Sadly, he kept getting flashbacks of that time when Sora was sleeping. Not the best time… when he was annoyingly edgy. Gosh, not the stuff he wanted to really remember.

"Mickey was right."

He blinked as Naminé stepped toward him.

"What are you doing here Naminé?"

"I offered. Mickey and the others were going to come, but they are very far away. So, I thought I would come keep you company until they arrived."

Riku sighed, smiling slightly. "I appreciate it, Naminé."

"You can call me Nami. Olette started calling me that and it's caught on."

"I like it." He said quietly. "A new name for new times."

The two of them waited quietly for a few minutes, staring quietly into the sunset. "Are you reminded of that time in Twilight Town so long ago, Riku?"

"Sadly, yes. And those are times I would much rather forget."

"You sound like you did back then. Sad." The blonde sat on the ground, dangling her feet off the edge of the island. "Not at all like when you came to get me from Radiant Garden. Then, you were smiling, really smiling. I haven't seen that smile since that day. And I know Kairi will want to see that smile when she gets back."

"When did you get so pushy?"

Naminé giggled. "I guess staying with Axel and the others rubbed off on me. They're all pretty pushy but not in a mean way. It was nice. They got me to do things I would have never have done before. Maybe you need a push too."

"Maybe I do."

"Well maybe the others and I can give you that push to make sure you're smiling when Kairi comes back with Sora."

"Thank's Nami…"

* * *

**Ah, the lore building I got to add! And then the platonic RiKai, and the tiny bit of RikuNami.**

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) This is in reference to the whole thing about crystals in the Final Fantasy series.

(2) This is a combination of the Greek word "gaia" and the latin world "illustris".

(3) These are all enemies from the Final Fantasy series.

(4) Asura is an eidolon from the Final Fantasy series. I'm going with the Final Fantasy XV idea of the eidolons being worshiped as gods, but I created my own pantheon using the eidolons from the entire series.

(5) The real-life building has the numbers 109 on it, but in KH3, the building has 104 on it.

(6) I live in Asia and I have had the paying for TP thing and those toilets, squat pots as we call them, are just how it is there.

(7) This is kinda how I felt after I moved from the USA to Asia.

(8) This is based on the Temple of the Divines from Skyrim.

* * *

VAs:

_Cleric Fay- __Elisa Gabrielli (Maven Black-Briar, Detective Sonia Alcana, Obsidiana)_

_Zoraida- __Myrna Velasco (Green Lantern/Jessica Cruz, Torra Doza, Carla, CJ)_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi!**

**When I first got the idea for this story, I asked my friends to help with some of the OCs to have other people bring in brand new personalities that I might not have thought of. Zoraida is an OC that I made, but this chapter will introduce the first of the OCs made by my friends!**

**Kingdom Hearts/Verum Rex © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Zoraida © to me!**

**Hercshal © Valkyrie!**

* * *

**Chapter 3: The New World**

* * *

"GOOOOOOOD MORNING!"

Kairi snapped awake at the screechy voice singing above her.

Zoraida stood by her bed, fiddling with one of the black curls on her hair. "I'm about to go, so hurry up if you want me to take you to the crystal tower." With that, she flew out the door.

"Chirithy… what time is it?"

The dream eater appeared, laughing slightly. "Five in the morning. Nice bed-head by the way."

"Ugh." The princess flopped back onto the pillow. "One thing she and Sora have in common, they have way too much energy for this time of day." Slowly, she slid off the bed, her shoes, which she didn't even take off before going to bed, hitting the wooden floor with a clunk.

She trudged into the small bathroom attached to the bedroom. The dark circles under her eyes and the wild hair she sported made her look like some kind of zombie. A small brush lay on the counter, all she needed to fix what she could. Her hair fell flat soon enough and a splash of water on her face woke her up slightly.

That was as good as it was gonna get.

The girl pulled herself out of the room, still barely awake.

"Here!" Kairi screamed as a styrofoam cup popped into her view. Zoraida grinned, holding up a cup of coffee up to the girl's face. "Espresso! This will wake you up! And you'll wake up on the way there. We can get breakfast on the way!"

Kairi grabbed the cup, downing the coffee in seconds. Yes, the hot drink scalded her tongue, but the liquid pouring down her throat seemed to give her a boost in seconds. "Sounds good, except I don't have any money. I have currency from my home, but I can't use it here."

"Oh, that won't be a problem. I'll pay." The cleric grabbed her arm, pulling her out the door. "So, you're from out of town? What's your home like? What's it called? Is it anything like Tokyo?"

Kairi struggled to catch up until she walked up beside Zoraida. "It's a long story…"

"Well, it's about an hour's walk to Shinjuku station, so we have plenty of time."

An hour!?

Great.

"My home is an island far away from here. It's called the Destiny Islands."

"The Destiny Islands… never heard of it." Zoraida tapped her chin. "Don't suppose you could show it to me on a map?"

"Probably not."

They walked on, Zoraida effortlessly weaving in and out of the crowd, pulling Kairi with her. People poured in and out of buildings in the early sun.

Now that her wild culture shock episode was over, and that she was with someone who could help her, she could take time to check out her surroundings.

Tall buildings towered like mountains above them. Gray stone brick buildings. White concrete buildings made with massive blocks. Buildings of clear glass, black obsidian-like glass or rock, granite, metal, and some of plain old brick and mortar.

A true concrete jungle.

With reeds of streetlights. Vines of lights on the street corners and buildings. Fruits of advertisement signs. And flowers of bright flashing screens.

"You got quiet, Kairi." Zoraida turned away from the food vendor she'd just ordered food from.

"Sorry," the princess grinned sheepishly, "I've just never seen buildings this tall before! The only building I've seen close to this was a castle… they're like man-made mountains!"

"What's your home like then? I've never been anywhere outside of this city."

Kairi smiled, albeit sadly. "I live on the largest island in a small archipelago. There's a small town with a courthouse and a tiny mall. Most of the stores are in on one street. A market by the docks is where we get our groceries. And there is another island a short boat ride away where me and the other kids would go hang out."

"That sounds like a paradise. And you left that to come here?"

"I came looking for someone very important to me. His name is Sora."

Zoraida handed Kairi a bag containing chicken, lettuce, and fried potato wrapped in flatbread(1). "Oh? This city is pretty big. Finding him might not be so easy."

"I have a clue." Kairi bit into her breakfast, savoring the warm food and the slight spice from the chicken. "The crystal tower."

"So, he's a noble? The Crystal Tower is very exclusive. Not just anyone can get in there."

"No, he's not. I know that inside the tower, or under it, is a set of black doors. He's beyond those doors."

The cleric stopped, turning toward Kairi. A shadow covered her face. Kairi stared into her eyes and saw confusion, among other things. "The Doors to Death? Do you know what those doors are?"

"Uh, no."

Zoraida's eyes hardened. "The Doors to Death are not something you can just open. They lead to all the darkness and death that this world ever had. If your friend is behind those doors, he's either evil or dead."

"He's dead… and I came here with no other reason than to find him."

"Look, I can't fault you for wanting to save someone close to you, but you can't go to those doors, and you certainly can't open them. This would bring the darkness from beyond the door and destroy our world. You can't do it. I'm sorry."

Kairi's mouth lay open. Her hands shook as her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth.

Was there… no way?

No…

No way.

"I'll take you to the tower anyway. I'm sorry."

What was the point? If Sora was… if she couldn't get to him…

She slumped onto a bench, still clutching her breakfast.

Why was nothing going right!?

She'd lost Sora. Her sleeping for a year didn't seem to do much, and now that she had the chance to save him…

Sora… had he ever felt this way before?

.._._

What a stupid question.

Sora died for her. He probably thought her rescue impossible, yet he did what he had to in order for her to come home safe and sound. She would do the very same.

"No matter." Kairi stood up. "I don't care if you say it's impossible. Sora did the impossible and saved me from death. Somehow, I will find him and I will save him, without putting your home at risk."

Zoraida laughed. "You're a bold one. I like you. Part of me wants you to succeed. And I would love to see you save your friend."

"Maybe you will."

The two girls walked until they approached a large building with long panes of glass for walls. In large white letters, "Shinjuku Station" ran above the many open doors.

Zoraida handed Kairi a small bag. "Here's enough gil to get a ticket and a few meals. Get off at the Crystal Tower stop, but that should be pretty obvious."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to, my friend. I wish you all the luck in the world, and I'll offer up your quest to Brynhildr." She gave a curtsy before walking away.

Kairi waved goodbye-

…

Darkness.

Pain.

Heat.

Kairi gasped, her eyes opening as the ringing in her ears began to fade slightly.

"…ri… Ka…ri… Kairi!?"

Zoraida knelt beside the girl, helping her sit up.

"Are you ok!?"

"Wh-what happened?"

The two looked up as an explosion sent a nearby taxi hurtling into the air. Kairi glanced around; things moved, large things, in the distance, but her vision still wavered. She turned to see the entrance to the subway station behind her in flames. Is that what she felt? An explosion?

"Blasted Gigas…" The cleric stood up, holding out her hand. A yellow light appeared, shaping into a staff of twisted golden metal with a red tear-shaped gem on the end. "Kairi, wait here!" She ran off.

The princess pushed herself up to her feet, only to fall on her butt as a massive blue robot landed in front of her.

"W-wh-what is that!?"

Zoraida lept back into view, lightning blasting from her staff as she dodged electrical bombs from the robot in front of Kairi.

Kairi jumped up, summoning her Keyblade. "THUNDER!" Her spell struck the robot, but it didn't seem to do much. "Huh!? My spell should be stronger than that!"

D-did her year long sleep reset her spells and her power(2)?

Sora did say something like that happened after he slept for a year.

Great…

The robot turned, slamming down its fist. Kairi rolled out of the way, slashing at the robot's legs.

"Kairi!" Zoraida called over. "Attack the Giga's joints! Go for the ankles, backs of the knees, elbows, shoulders, and wrists!"

The joints!

Kairi leapt up, slashing at the back of the Giga's knee, she felt her Keyblade make contact with something, a slight pressure resisting her blade before allowing it to cut through. The leg buckled, sparks flying from the severed wires in the knee.

"You didn't say you were a warrior?"

Kairi ran over to Zoraida. "Sorry, the topic didn't really come up."

A large purple Giga slammed in front of them. Two large cannons, alight with energy, slammed down on the robot's shoulders, aimed at the two girls.

A flash of green crossed the Giga. It's shoulders sparked as the canons fell apart.

Following the green, Kairi spotted a young man holding a massive sword, the edge of the blade glowing green.

The young man looked to be not much older than Riku with short, slightly spiked, black hair; thin-rimmed glasses framed serious, mossy-green eyes. He wore military-like pants with a light camo pattern to them, black combat boots with red soles, a black shirt, and a black hooded leather jacket with short sleeves.

"Zoraida!" He called. "How many are there?"

"At least seven!"

A nearby Giga froze in a pillar of ice before shattering as a bolt of lightning struck the pillar. "Thanks for holding down the fort ladies!"

Another man, this one older than the first, landed beside Zoraida. Fiery red hair stuck out from under a black fedora with a bejeweled band. Amber eyes studied Kairi as he stepped nearer to her; his fancy black jacket with the sleeves rolled up and ripped white jeans that covered black leggings gave him a very stylish appearance. His tall black boots looked perfectly polished. And even his weapon: dual rapiers with chambers of glowing energy near the hilt gave him a stunning appearance.

Seriously?

Was he a warrior or a fashion model?

Or he could be both.

"And who is the new girl? Doesn't look like a cleric."

"Talk later!" The first young man yelled. "Fight now!"

"Of course."

The two leapt into battle. The one with the gl-, we're just going to call him Glasses for now, cleaved large pieces off the Gigas while Fashion Model cast magic of all kinds; honestly the magic seemed purposely cast in particular patterns. Was he… casting magic to not only kill the Gigas but to make the fight aesthetically pleasing?

Who were they?

A third man, around the ages of the other two leapt in, sword in one hand, crossbow in another. His attacks drew the attention of the other Gigas around, keeping them focused on the fight and not on fleeing civilians.

Zoraida charged at one Giga he drew in, while Kairi charged at another.

The princess ran, slashing first at the ankles, then at the wiring behind the knees. When the robot came down, she jumped up to the top, driving her Keyblade into its top before calling. "THUNDER!"

A shadow fell over her.

Kairi turned just in time to see the third young man jump into view, slashing with a glowing red sword. The fingers of the Giga fell off and the robot pulled away.

For a moment, the man turned toward her.

He looked…

He looked like Riku.

The hair. Looked exactly the same.

The clothes. With a few adjustments, such as no hood, a checkered shirt, and different accents, looked almost exactly like Riku's.

But his eyes… A soft gray right eyes. And a piercing red left.

"You alright?"

His deep voice came across so soft, but devoid of nearly all emotion.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

His eyes quickly studied her, lingering on and widening slightly as they noticed her Keyblade. But the stomping feet of a Giga drew them away as he leapt at the enemy, firing lasers from the crossbow with one hand and slashing at it with the sword in the other hand.

"Three left!" Glasses yelled to… Kairi decided to just call the third guy Not-Riku for now.

Not-Riku nodded before firing at another robot. "Zoraida! Can you hold them still for us?"

"On it!"

The cleric gripped her staff in her hands, silvery strands of magic swirling off her like magical threads. "STOPZA!"

The last three Gigas stopped. As soon as they froze, the three men leapt upon them. Their targets immobile, they had no trouble destroying the last three.

"Good job, team!" Fashion Model grinned. "And thank you, ladies."

"You're welcome."

"It was no trouble."

Not-Riku said nothing. His eyes fixed on Kairi. He stomped over, towering over the girl. He grabbed her wrist.

Kairi tensed, an image of Xemnas grabbing her wrist flashing in her mind as she quickly re-summoned her Keyblade in her left hand, quickly swinging it toward Not-Riku.

This time, he caught the blade in his hand.

"Let go!"

"Where did you get this sword?"

"Yozora!" Zoraida grabbed Kairi's shoulder, pulling her away as she pushed Not-Riku, or Yozora as his name apparently was. "Cut it out! What has gotten into you!?"

"Just answer the question."

Kairi glared at Yozora; this was one crappy first impression. "I've had it for years."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a phone. He quickly flipped through something on his phone before stepping closer to Kairi. "Do you recognize this?" He held out the phone.

Kairi's breath turned cold, her heart freezing mid-beat.

On the phone… a picture- no. A photograph of a painting. A painting of a Keyblade just like Sora's. The Kingdom Key.

"Where did you see this!?"

He pulled the phone back. "Your weapon is of the same kind, correct?"

"It is."

"Yozora," Glasses crossed his arms, "what's this about?"

Yozora glanced at his companion. "I'll explain later. Girl. What's your name?"

"Uh… Kairi."

"Kairi. I need you to come with us."

"Huh!?"

* * *

_You told me before that he'd been "changed beyond all recognition- his hear replaced with another's"._

_Yes, that's right. _

_That makes sense. He told me that he didn't really look like the person I saw._

_That's true… _

_My champion. _

_Both of us. The maiden and the champion are cursed by that horrible door. I to die. Him to lose himself. _

_Lose himself?_

_His heart merged with the evil that came from beyond that door. He changed. His appearance first… his heart next. Every day that passed, I saw the boy I grew up with slip away and become someone new._

_Someone, I barely recognized-_

* * *

"Hold on!" Zoraida grit her teeth. "First you scare her half to death, and then you say you want her to come to base!? She's not even a citizen here."

"Zoraida, trust me. I know what I'm doing."

The cleric dismissed her staff with a huff. "I hope you know, I'm only listening to you because you're the prince. If you weren't I'd strike you with lightning."

"You're welcome to try."

Kairi blinked, staring up at Yozora. She wasn't a fan of him at the moment, but he knew something about Sora. If Zoraida was right, and the door was nearly impossible to reach, he could be her key to reaching it.

"I'll come with you."

"Good. Follow us."

Yozora stiffly turned away, walking away. He… seemed more like a robot than a person.

Glasses let out a long sigh. "He's obsessed with that painting."

"Maybe he is, but I don't blame him." Fashion Model patted his friend's back as they followed the prince, their obvious leader.

Kairi and Zoraida followed the boys. Around them, large metal vehicles that looked like tanks without weapons. Large doors on the side of vehicle lifted up. Soldiers and medics poured out of the vehicles to deal with the clean up of the battle.

Guess this was kind of the norm for these people.

Another military-grade vehicle sat on the road, perfectly parallel-parked in a spot. Beside it stood an older man in a suit with a blue tie and vest. His short red hair and mustache looked perfectly groomed, and his warm green eyes shone with curiosity as Kairi approached.

"Young master Yozora, I see you've brought a new friend."

"She's not a friend."

The man picked up a cane leaning against the vehicle. "I apologize for his rudeness." The man bowed respectfully. "Your name young lady?"

"Kairi."

"A pleasure to meet you, young miss Kairi. My name is Hercshal."

"Nice to meet you, sir."

The butler-like man pressed a button on a key ring. The military vehicle door swung up and open and the man gestured inside. Was this fancy-looking guy the driver? He sure didn't look like the typical military driver(3). But as the three young men climbed into the vehicle, it became clearer that he was indeed the driver. Zoraida climbed in and Kairi followed.

Sliding onto a metal bench along the side, she found herself staring at Fashion Model. He reminded her of Lea in appearance, but his voice came across less cocky. He held out a hand to her. "I never introduced myself. My name is Magia." Kairi shook his hand as he pointed to Glasses. "And that guy is Aegis."

Aegis barely even looked up from where he sat; his eyes stared at a pocket-sized notebook as his pen scratched across the paper. "Yozora, are you sure about her? She's was only able to take down two Gigas. In total, you have destroyed three hundred and sixty-five. Magia has destroyed three hundred fifteen. I have destroyed four hundred thirty-one. And Zoraida has destroyed one hundred and sev-."

"Oh, cut it out, Aegis." Zoraida huffed. "She just arrived from a foreign country. And since she held her own in battle, then you can probably assume that she's a warrior and has fought many people before."

"Until I see the numbers before me, I don't believe it. And I don't think she belongs here."

He's a jerk…

"Yozora," Kairi turned her eyes on the prince, choosing to ignore the jerk, "tell me… where did you find that painting."

"I painted it."

"You did!? But h-how… how did…?"

Magia leaned back, pushing his hat over his eyes. "Yeah, Yozora wouldn't shut up about that 'Sora' guy for like a month. I thought his dad was gonna blow a blood vessel."

Sora.

"How do you know Sora?"

Kairi's voice rang out, echoing through the vehicle. She must have said that louder than she intended, as everyone stared at her, even Aegis.

The prince leaned over, looking her straight in the eyes. "Because, I met him."

* * *

**And the boys have arrived!**

**Hope you liked it!**

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) This is my favorite street food to get on Fridays for breakfast.

(2) This is how I assume that Nomura will set Kairi back to level 1 in her game (which is totally coming and you can NOT convince me otherwise).

(3) Hercshal is NOT the driver seen in Re:Mind. I know the theory that the particular driver in the game is Luxord. So I'm making the drive from the game (who might be Luxord) Yozora's formal driver who takes him to important events and casual situations. Hercshal is the military driver.

* * *

_VAs: _

_Aegis- __Jonny Yong Bosch (Lelouch vi Britannia, Nero, Yu Narukami, Sasori, Ichigo Kurosaki)_

_Magia- __Max Mittelman (Ryuji Sakamoto, Sabito, Saitama, Troy Calypso, King, Plagg, Blurr)_

_Hercshal- __Billy Zane (John Rolfe, Ansem Seeker of Darkness, Etrigan/Jason Blood) _


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys!**

**What better way to spend quarantine than reading and writing fanfictions!? **

**I'm excited to keep this story going!**

**Kingdom Hearts and Verum Rex © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Zoraida, Hayate, Hoshiko, and Phinehas © to me! Hercshal © to Valk!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Triad**

* * *

"How…?"

Yozora stared at his phone, tapping the screen. "A dream." He tapped a button on the side of the wall. "Hercshal, take us to base and then to the tower."

"Yes sir."

The vehicle began to rumble, picking up speed. It took maybe three minutes before the vehicle stopped. Kairi was glad. Even just three minutes of total silence was awkward as heck.

The side door opened up onto a basic sidewalk. Zoraida stood up. "I will see all of you when you return. Kairi, if they're jerks, tell me. Hercshal, keep an eye on the young lady, please."

"Of course."

The cleric stepped outside and the door closed, leaving Kairi with the three guys. Yozora moved onto the same bench as Kairi and handed her the phone. The picture of the Keyblade flashed into view before Yozora slid his fingers across the screen, zooming out the picture.

The entire picture.

A picture of Sora, mid-swing with his Keyblade.

"You painted this?"

"I did." He narrowed his eyes in thought. "I had two dreams regarding him. In Tokyo, since we are so close to the doors of death, sometimes those who are dear to us speak in our dreams. A friend of mine, a dear friend, spoke to me from beyond the doors." His eyes glazed over with a deep sorrow that mirrored Kairi's own inner feelings. "She told me to 'save Sora'. Then I met Sora in a dream."

Kairi gently took the phone, staring at the picture. "Tell me, what happened in the dream?"

"I fought him."

"Great way to save him…"

"Hush." Yozora snapped. "I've read in so many places that dreams are a land all their own, but if dreams really are a world of their own, I would have to search for him to keep my promise. But, I met him in a dream. I figured if I could keep him in place, things would be easier. So, I fought him, and I lost."

Kairi zoomed in the picture to look at Sora's face. "He's the reason I'm here. I came only to save him from death…"

"How foolish." Aegis scoffed.

"I don't know," Magia smirked, "sounds like the beginning of a beautiful romance novel to me."

Aegis closed his notebook, pushing up his glasses with his middle finger. "No. She has to save him from _death_. That means she needs the doors open, and that won't happen unless we force them open or we wait three generations. Either way, darkness will come out of the door and threaten the world again, and we don't have a maiden to close the door this time. We will kill this entire world."

"I won't let that happen!" Kairi snapped.

Yozora ran his hand down his face. "Just great." He sat in silence for about five minutes before he took his phone back. "Ok, here's what we're going to do. I'll convince my father to let you join the military, so you can be on our squad. You seem to have some more information that I don't, and I have some you don't. We want the same thing, so it makes sense for us to work together. Aegis, while we're talking with my father, I need you to get to the offices and get her an ID. We'll need it. Magia, I'll need you with us to do the convincing should he not approve."

"Of course…"

"On it."

Yozora moved back over to the bench with the other two boys and stared at his phone intently.

Kairi bit her lip as silence fell again.

That silence didn't last long. Aegis moved over to her bench. "We have three minutes before we reach the castle. How old are you, what is your birthday, and what is your surname?" His bluntness shocked her for a second. "We have two minutes and forty-five seconds. Tell me."

"I-I'm seventeen. My birthday is August 21st. And my surname is Uchida(1)."

He scribbled down the information before scooting back over to the boy's side without a single word.

Kairi leaned back against the wall, gripping her dress.

They didn't like her.

All the stories she'd heard from Sora gave her the impression that people would be nice. Zoraida, Hercshal, Fay, and that random security guard were literally the only nice ones too her. Magia seemed ok, but he was still not talking to her now.

She felt just so tired. Right now, she just wanted to find Sora and the two of them go home. But everything she learned just made that moment seem further and further away.

Again, the vehicle stopped. The door opened.

Kairi nearly jumped out to get out of that awkward space.

Then her eyes beheld the building before her and she nearly fell back into the doorway. A tower, stretching into the clouds far above, glittered above her(2). And, seeing it in person, the tower, made entirely of a soft blue crystal, which fractured light into small blue-tinted rainbows around her, made for one of the most magical sights she'd ever seen.

"Move it."

The girl stepped out of the way as Aegis pushed past, glaring at her slightly. Why in the world was he such a total jerk!?

"Don't mind him," Magia stepped down, gesturing for her to walk with him, "he treats everyone that way. If he warms up to you he'll only sometimes treat you like you're not as good as him."

"Great."

Yozora stepped up beside them. "Let me do the talking. I have a cover story in mind."

"Sounds good to me, man."

Kairi barely heard the conversation as they approached solid quartz doors. Soft lights inlayed within the crystal walls made the translucent white doors glow with an almost ethereal light.

As her hand touched the doors, energy surged through her, warming her from the inside out. It felt like a bolt of lightning through her entire body. Her legs buckled slightly.

However, she felt no pain.

Just energy.

Energy of light.

She felt arms catch her as she fell toward the ground. Her eyes looked up at the tower. What was this tower!?

Yozora knelt before her, looking her up and down for injuries. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know… I just felt this overwhelming… light."

"Oh, the tower itself." Magia rapped the crystal with his knuckles. "You know this thing literally contains the light of the entire world?"

That explained everything.

"Oh…"

"No one has ever reacted like that." Aegis stood over them, literally looking down on them. "Why would you react to the crystal? Is there something wrong with you?"

Seriously?

The girl glared up at him. "Nothing is wrong with me! I have a heart of pure light, so sorry if it was a little overwhelming for me." She pulled herself up to her feet, standing tall, glaring up at the guy who just stared at her as if she was an immature child.

"How stupid do you think we are. No one has a heart of pure light."

"How do you know!?"

Yozora stepped between them. "Listen. Aegis, we know almost nothing about Keyblade wielders. Who knows if they had pure hearts or not."

"What do you know about Keyblade wielders?"

"You might be surprised. Now, let's get upstairs. Kairi, can you be in the crystal?"

"Yes!" The princess pushed past Aegis, shoving the doors open. As her hand touched the quartz, she only felt a slight tingle beneath her fingertips. Holding the doors open, she turned to them. "Are you coming or not?"

The three walked past her, only Magia smiling. Actually, smirking was more like it.

Inside the crystal, thin walls separated the pure crystal from the hollowed out room. A clear elevator stood directly across from the doors, behind a cherry hardwood desk that seemed to melt into the flooring made with the same wood.

A woman and man in matching suits sat behind the desk.

"Gudmund. Azure."

The two looked up. "Commander Yozora."

"A pleasure to see you." The man, wearing the nametag of Gudmund, stood up.

The woman, Azure, pressed a button and part of the desk swung open like a door. "Here to see your father, sir?"

"Yes." He walked past, and the others followed him. Kairi felt the stares of Azure and Gudmund as she went past. Obviously, they were very confused by the strange girl.

Kairi stepped into the glass elevator.

As soon as it went up, the girl nearly fell over. It moved quickly, rushing past floor after floor. Up and up. The floor numbers flew past.

"How do you know about the Keyblade?" Kairi asked. "I know you saw Sora, but you knew that I was a Keyblade wielder and knew what my weapon was. I never said anything."

Yozora crossed his arms. "I did some research after I fought Sora. This tower is the light of our world that collected together to end a war."

"The war of crystal."

"Most books don't talk about who fought the war, only saying that the warriors were the ones who nearly destroyed everything and that they used weapons called Keyblades. Ever since the war, no one has seen a Keyblade. Then I saw Sora wielding a Key-shaped sword in my dream. I did my research after the dream. I came to the conclusion that he had a Keyblade."

"Oh… I see."

It stopped at floor 47(3), the top floor.

Hyacinth-colored walls against dark hardwood floors stretched before them. A beautiful room with a semi-circle table stood before them. Stairwells circled up from behind the desk to a balcony above where the elevator stopped. As they stepped out of the elevator, Yozora held up a hand.

Voices spoke above them on the balcony.

"Father?"

The voices stopped.

A moment later, they started up again. But a pair of feet began coming down the steps. A woman in a long maroon dress with a black cape flowing from beneath gold shoulder pads; both large pieces of clothing sported navy and white accents. Raven hair flowed over one shoulder in a ponytail.

She smiled softly, her walnut-colored eyes glimmering in the soft light coming from a beautiful hanging chandelier.

"Hello boys. Who is your friend?"

"Not a friend." Aegis huffed.

"This is Kairi." Yozora spoke up. "We need to speak to the triad about allowing her into the military without all the process."

The woman's face became serious. "Well, we will have to have this conversation after your father's meeting." She turned to Kairi, smiling warmly. "Hello, Kairi. I am Minister Hoshiko, one of the leaders of this country."

"Pleasure to meet you, Minister." Kairi curtsied.

Hoshiko turned her face to the three young men. "If you wish to wait here you can, but someone needs to go downstairs to the lounge to find Minister Phinehas."

"I'll go. Want to come with me, Kairi?" Magia put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Sure."

Aegis stepped back into the elevator, holding up his notebook. "I have business on floor 30."

Magia and Kairi stepped into the elevator. Crystal flew past as they dropped down to floor 40.

The doors opened to a large hexagonal room with black and white tiled floor and soft teal walls. Black leather sofas and glass tables sat on either side. The back walls were a triangular bar with black cabinets behind. A man behind the counter polished glasses as a man stood before the counter.

He wore kaki pants, brown shoes, a mahogany shirt with a mustard-yellow tie; over that he wore a long white coat like a lab coat but of nicer quality. His slicked-back indigo hair fell slightly over his shoulders. His lavender eyes studied the red martini in his hand.

"Come on, Kairi."

The two stepped out into the lounge to the sound of soft jazz music. The man at the counter grinned before sipping his martini. "Magia, good to see you. Who's the lovely lady?"

"Hello sir. My name is Kairi."

"Nice to meet you. Name's Minister Phinehas. Want a drink you two?"

The red-head slid over to the counter. "Large affogato with two shots of espresso."

"All that caffeine will kill you one day."

"All that booze will kill you one day."

"Touché."

The princess slowly walked through the lounge taking in the chill environment. "I am underage, so I can't have one."

The minister took a sip of his martini before glancing at the bartender. "Small virgin strawberry daiquiri for the lady. And make sure the glasses can travel as I'm assuming you've come down here to get me for some meeting."

"You would be correct."

"Figured." Phinehas leaned against the bartop. "One meeting after another. I just had a meeting with some old farts who don't want to change a thing, so the king's dealing with them now. He said it would take half an hour." He glanced up at the clock. "If that's true, then he'll be done in ten minutes. Just in time to get our drinks and go."

The minister looked at Kairi, studying her.

As the girl sat at the bartop, she squirmed under his gaze. "Please stop staring."

"Sorry 'bout that. Something about you is different."

"We'll talk about that at the meeting."

Magia took his coffee from the bartender, drinking in with a vengeance. "Ah! Coffee! The nectar of the astrals!"

Kairi waited until a tall crystal glass appeared before her with a sweet fruit drink. "Thank you." She took a sip. It tasted sweet with a slight tang to it.

"Alright, you two, let's go see the king. He should be done in a few minutes."

Magia whipped out his phone, texting a message before he strode toward the elevator.

The elevator came down from a higher floor, rushing past them to a lower floor.

"Oh come on!?" Phinehas whined.

"You that desperate to get to a meeting?"

"I have a good feeling, like there is something wild going on. I mean it's not often you guys bring a strange girl to the tower with zero explanation."

Kairi stood to the side, sipping her drink slowly. This guy felt off. Phinehas kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

She narrowed her eyes, trying to sense what might be off about him… problem was the tower. So much light around her, that was nearly all she could feel. However, the minister didn't seem evil, but something about him was just a little strange.

The elevator came up, Aegis, holding a folder in one hand and his phone in the other. "Cutting it close, aren't we?"

"Shut it, Age."

Kairi pushed into the elevator, moving to the back so she could keep an eye on the minister. Maybe… maybe she was just paranoid. He kept glancing at her, sure, but she was the random girl they just brought in, and not to mention this tower was such a force of pure light, she might just be sensing nothing at all.

Back up to the throne room.

Phinehas strode out, chattering away to Hoshiko within seconds. He certainly wasn't shy.

"Done?" Yozora loomed over Kairi, his voice lowered.

"Done." Aegis nodded.

Great… now they were literally talking over her! Being short SUCKED sometimes.

"Kairi," Yozora turned his face down to her, "say _nothing_ about Sora. At all. If you do, nothing will get done. Understand me?"

His red eye flashed.

"Y-yes…"

He nodded, taking her arm firmly. They both moved further into the room, to a sofa under the staircase. Aegis and Magia moved to the other side of the room and sat on the sofa under the other stairwell.

Kairi studied Yozora.

He sat still…

Magia moved, sipping his coffee; when he wasn't guzzling his caffeine, he was twirling his hat on his finger, showing his slicked back red hair.

Aegis scribbled in his notebook.

Yozora sat still.

Totally still.

The only thing moving was his silver eye. It trembled as if an inner conversation had him worried.

Glancing up, she could see some sort of movement up on the balcony and she could hear hushed conversations. The figures above moved, a mass heading down both sets of stairs. A bunch of people dressed in very fancy clothes moved past them, chattering to themselves. They squished into the elevator and the chattering vanished downstairs with them.

"Old farts." Phinehas sipped his martini.

"Be kind, Phinehas." A man in a white cloak with gray slacks, a black shirt, and navy vest came down the stairs, his cane clicking as it hit the ground with each step. Soft gray eyes peaked out from behind black-rimmed glasses and strands of black hair. "Hello, son."

"King Hayate."

The man, obviously Yozora's father and the king, seemed a lot friendlier than his son. "Who is this young lady?"

"She's the reason I wanted to meet with the three of you."

Yozora nodded, crossing his arms. "This is a formal meeting, so can we get to business?"

The king frowned. He seemed sad… I mean, his son wasn't even talking to him like a father. Hayate curtly nodded before moving to the large desk, going around behind to sit down at the central spot. Phinehas and Hoshiko moved to the desk, the man sitting on the left and the woman on the right.

"What is it?"

"I want her appointed to the military without her having to go through all the procedures."

"Why? Got a crush?"

The prince clenched his fist slightly. "No. I think she's a Keyblade wielder of old."

Silence.

"What do you take us for?"

"Those warriors from the crystal war are no more."

"Not necessarily." Phinehas leaned back, serious face studying them all. "They just vanished. People have speculated for years that some survived."

Hoshiko leaned over to look at her fellow minister. "What do you know of these Keyblade wielders?"

"I had to study them in college, well what little we knew." As a scientist, one must know both magic and science. And the history of both. Honestly, the history on Keyblade wielders is sparse at best, but what we do know is that they were powerful, and their weapons could lock and unlock anything."

Hayate slammed his hand on the table. "Then if they were around, WHERE HAVE THEY BEEN!?" The king's voice seemed to shake the chandelier overhead, shattering the calm persona Kairi had seen so far. She grimaced as his eyes turned on her. "Tell me girl! If you are a Keyblade wielder, why leave us to fend for ourselves against the darkness from beyond the doors!?"

Oh no.

Kairi felt her stomach drop.

What should she say!?

She… she wasn't about to lie. Her parents taught her not to lie. And these people. Seemed like the kind of individuals who would know when someone is lying.

Oh boy.

This was going to take some serious wording.

But, how to respond…

"I'm sorry, your majesty. But, there are other threats out there that you did not know about."

That wasn't a lie.

These people certainly didn't know about Xehanort.

"She's got a point." Phinehas grinned, not mellowing out the furious king. "By the way, you haven't even showed us the Keyblade you apparently wield."

Kairi held out her hand, summoning her blade.

Minister Phinehas leapt over the desk, knocking over his chair in the process. "YOU'RE A KEYBLADE WIELDER!" He grabbed her other hand, shaking it vigorously. "I-It-I-I'm- this is an honor! A privilege! You're a living legend! Aegis! Gimmie that notebook! I'm writing everything she says for the greatest book on Keyblade wielders written in… EVER!"

"Phinehas… please act like a grown man." The king walked around the desk, pulling away his fangirling coworker. "I-I'm sorry for my anger earlier. Please, forgive me."

"I forgive you." She bowed slightly. "I understand your anger, and I am so sorry that your people have suffered, and I have been unable to help."

King Hayate let out a long breath as his face relaxed into a warm smile. "I never did get your name, young lady."

"Kairi."

Aegis handed the king a file. "Kairi Uchida. Age eighteen."

Eighteen?

"Kairi. It's a pleasure to meet an ancient warrior. Please, let's finish this conversation without anger," he put a hand on his own chest before putting his hand on Phinehas' shoulder, "and without someone talking your ear off. Now, tell me, where have you been all this time?"

"On a small island. It's where I grew up."

Not a lie.

"A small island." Hoshiko nodded. "A perfect place to hide away from prying eyes if one does things right. With minimal technology or magic, one could just hide away."

Well that just made things easy. "We don't really use much technology on the island(4)."

"There we have it!" Phinehas threw his hands into the air. Suddenly he clapped his hands, bouncing from one foot to another. (How was he one of this world's leaders again?) "OOOOOOH! Hayate! Hayate! What if _she_ used her Keyblade to lock the doors!? She could lock the doors to death!"

Hoshiko gasped, her eyes lighting up. "Hayate, do you think she…?"

"Kairi, could you… do you think you would be able to close the doors to death?" The king's voice quivered, desperation in his eyes.

The girl looked down at her weapon. "Well, I don't see why it wouldn't. I'll do my best."

Well.

That's a good enough excuse to hang around.

Yozora nodded. "But we still have a problem. I've seen the doors myself. There is no keyhole on the outside of the door. She'll have to lock it from the inside."

Yeah… a keyhole was not necessary for her to lock the door.

…

But they didn't need to know that.

Just go along with it.

Kairi dismissed her weapon. "We need to open the door without letting the darkness out."

"Great…"

"We can work on that then." Yozora spoke sharply. "As long as she can join the military, then she can work with us."

The king stroked his beard.

"Hey," Phinehas put an arm around his king's shoulders; the two looked like good friends, "I know kingly decisions are not easy, but that's why Hoshiko and I are here. I say we let them work on it. What do you say, fair lady?"

Hoshiko nodded. "I agree. I want this cycle of death surrounding the door to end. If we have a chance to end it, then we should do it!"

The king slowly nodded. "Alright. The four of you, stay here in the tower for the night, we will have the documents for Kairi ready tomorrow."

"Thank you."

Kairi bowed, smiling to herself. One step closer. This was probably the best thing for her goals.

Hoshiko glided over to Kairi, taking her hands. "I can't thank you enough for your help." Teary-eyed, the woman's head came down, resting on the clasped hands. "Please… stop this cycle of death. Let my daughter be the last maiden to die for this world." She looked up, smiling. "I have an extra room in my suite. Go to floor sixteen. My maid, Tamiko, will take care of you."

"Thank you, Minister."

"Just call me Miss Hoshiko."

"If we're done here, can we just go and let you do the work? The three of us _actually_ have work to do, and so the girl can stay until she can actually come to work."

Things were so much better when Aegis _didn't_ speak.

Yozora nodded. "The three of us will go back to base."

"Sounds good."

Kairi followed the three boys to the elevator. As the doors closed, she smiled at them. "So, I guess I'll be seeing the three of you tomorrow."

"Yes you will." Magia tipped his fedora upward. "We'll have some quarters set aside for you."

The girl smiled as the elevator stopped. Floor sixteen. She stepped out. "Bye! See you tumor-"

The door shut.

Going down.

Leaving Kairi alone once more…

Alone.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and the new characters! **

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) On Kairi's age, I like to assume she's a little older than Sora. On her birthday, August 21st is "Kairi day" and is also Hayden Panettiere's birthday. On her surname, this is the surname of her Japanese actor, Risa Uchida.

(2) While taller than the real life building, the Crystal Tower is located exactly where the Tokyo Skytree is in real life, and it actually replaces that building in this version of Tokyo.

(3) I picked this number on purpose. The number 4 is known as the number of stability, and the number 7 is known as the number of completion and perfection.

(4) Nomura said they don't use much tech, and Sora is… tech dense.

* * *

_VAs:_

_Gudmund- __Jonah Scott (Legoshi, Aiden Caldwell, Formaggio, Randy Orlando, Lihito)_

_Azure- __Lauren Landa (Juno, Kasumi, Robin, Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia, Annie Leonhart)_

_Minister Hoshiko- __Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Cornelia li Britannia, Nina Williams, Tsunade)_

_Minister Phinehas- __Troy Baker (Rhys, Joker, Samuel Drake, Joel, Bruce Banner, Steeljaw)_

_King Hayate- __Darin De Paul (Benjamin Hancock, Ardyn Izunia, Reinhardt, Samuel Hayden) _


	5. Chapter 5

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

**Hope you guys don't get too mad at the end of this chapter…**

**Kingdom Hearts and Verum Rex © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Hercshal © to Valkyrie! Alexis © to Blackheart the Dark Lord! Lucky and other OCs © to me!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: White Walls**

* * *

Riku couldn't help but smile as the gummi ship landed on the beach. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy came out of the ship.

"There they are!"

Walking down the beach, Naminé and Riku met the three before the ship.

"How are you doing, Riku?" The king smiled, his eyes sad as he noticed the mostly forlorn expression on his dear friend's face.

"I'm alright." The young man scratched the back of his head. "I'm just worried and tired." The three all nodded slightly. All of them also had some sort of exhaustion within their gaze. "How did the traveling go?"

That brought a gentle smile to Goofy's face. "We have the support of everyone. We told them to just believe in those of us searching, and we actually got Genie to drop off messages in all the world we'd been to without being seen, telling them about Kairi going to find him. We asked them all to believe in her."

"Good. We believed in Sora and he's done the impossible. Kairi can do the same." Naminé clasped her hands behind her back.

"I agree…"

"And we can deal with you," the blonde smirked, "you've regressed, Riku. You seem like that tired person I knew so long ago, when Sora was asleep. You're not that person anymore, so please don't act like it."

"Wow, Naminé, you're a lot bolder than I remember you being." Donald chuckled.

"You try living in the same house with Roxas, Xion, Axel, and Isa for a year…"

Everyone laughed. Mickey shook his head, smiling. "Well, I'd ask how they're doing, but we're going to see them later."

"We are?"

"Yes," the mouse nodded, "that's what the plan is. We're going to visit everyone and see what progress they did make. Perhaps we could find a way to help Kairi from here, or at least make it easier for her to get home with Sora."

Riku scratched the back of his head, smiling slightly. "Yeah… but we'll have to do this later tonight. I promised my dad I'd join him for dinner. I haven't been home in a while…"

"Oh… would he mind if we joined?"

"Nah, he'd love it. He'll make you help cook though. He makes me help cook."

"Sounds good, Riku."

* * *

"Miss Kairi." Hoshiko gently opened the door to her apartment's guest bedroom. "Would you like to join me for dinner?"

Kairi looked up from where she sat, feeling the soft silk nightgown the minister loaned her for the night.

"Yes, thank you." The girl stepped into the main room. It was a gorgeous apartment, royal in appearance. Emerald drapes hung over the pale walls, contrasting the black tile floor. "I was surprised you had something in my size, you're much taller than me."

The woman sat the end of a small table. Kairi sat to her right. They began to eat before the woman spoke again. "I had a daughter. That's hers."

"Had?"

"Had…" Hoshiko put a piece of steak into her mouth. "I had a darling daughter. I lost her last year." The woman let out a long sigh. "She was the one to close the door."

Kairi blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Do you not know about the door?"

"The doors to death?"

Hoshiko nodded. "When those doors and the darkness comes upon the world, a champion and maiden come to close the door. The maiden sacrifices herself; she puts all of her magic and life energy to pull the darkness and seal it away. The way to seal it completely is for the champion to kill the maiden. My daughter was that maiden."

"Oh… I'm so sorry… What was her name?"

"I-I…" the woman's hands shook, "I don't remember."

She didn't…

Remember.

_"__And the other boy?"_

_"__What other boy?"_

"How? Why?"

The woman clenched her fists, staring down at her plate of food. "The other part of what happens to the maiden and champion. Parts of them are lost… When the maiden dies, the memory of her is stripped from the world. Only those close to her can remember something… I remember I had a daughter. At times I can see a mental glimpse of brown hair. But… that's all I have left of her. Not even a name."

_"__A letter. I wrote it yesterday, to the boy I can't remember."_

"You lost her completely…"

"And… my husband and son are gone. They're on the other side of the world, in Britannia(1) So I've been al-" She drew in a deep breath. "I'm sorry…"

Kairi looked up at the woman, almost looking into a mirror of not only now, but when she forgot Sora.

Nothing she could say would help.

She put her hand on Hoshiko's.

This was why she asked Kairi to come stay with her. She was lonely. Alone and missing her daughter.

Poor woman.

"I'm sorry."

The woman again let out a long sigh. "No, I'm sorry for just ranting like that. It's been stressful." She looked up at Kairi, bloodshot eyes filled with sorrow. "You should probably know these things since you're working with Yozora anyway. He can somewhat remember her too."

"The way you spoke, it sounded like the champion was changed too." The girl kept her voice soft, as if her voice alone could shatter this broken woman.

"He was. Yozora wasn't always so… rude and emotionless. He was- He- Ugh, I can't remember what he used to be like, I just know he changed and what about him changed. He didn't look the same either. He cut his hair after the change happened, and I think that he didn't have a red eye. I'm not sure."

If only Naminé was here.

"The closest I've ever come to getting any answers was when I sleep." She looked at Kairi. "The doors of death lie 50 floors under our feet. With as close as our city is to that door, we sometimes cross over in sleep. Sleep and death touch, so sometimes one can dream and see those who passed on. I know I've seen my beautiful little girl there, but I can't remember anything of her still. I just hope you can close that horrible door forever. I want this cycle of death to end."

Kairi squeezed Hoshiko's hand comfortingly. "I'll do what I can. I promise."

And she meant it.

She would cross through the doors. Rescue Sora. And then lock the doors. If she had the power to seal them forever, then she would certainly do it.

But…

Could she even cross through the doors?

Did she have enough in her to do something like that?

…

Or was she making promises she couldn't keep.

Dinner was quiet from then on, just silently eating.

Kairi slipped into the bedroom, wondering if this room belonged to Hoshiko's daughter in the past. She felt almost like she was intruding.

But one thing stuck in her mind.

"Chirithy? You here?"

The Dream Eater poofed before her. "How are you feeling, Kairi?"

"I'm alright… but I have a question. Hoshiko said that she can speak to those who have passed beyond the door in her sleep. Do you think- "

"You want to see Sora."

"Yeah."

"Maybe," the cat-like creature paced across the bed, "I will look into that. It could just be a regular dream, but I'll run around the dream realm and see. If it's true, I'll let you know."

"Thank you…"

The creature vanished as Kairi crawled under the bedsheets and went to sleep.

* * *

Riku pushed open the door to a small house by the beach. He felt the warm citrus smell of sauce envelope his senses as soon as he stepped inside.

"Dad!"

"Just in time, son! Get in here."

"Well, sorry to just tell you now, I've brought guests."

A man with slate-gray hair, pulled back into a ponytail, poked his head out of the kitchen, his green eyes studying the group before him. "Oh! Hello!" He stepped out, wiping his hands with a towel.

"Back from work?"

The man looked down at his stained white chef jacket. "Yeah. I called in to spend dinner with you, son." He turned to the trio from Disney Town. "King Mickey, Donald, Goofy. Good to see you again."

"Nice to see you too!"

"And I don't believe we've met." He reached out a hand to Naminé. "I'm Mamoru Miyano(2), Riku's father. You are?"

Naminé shook his hand with a smile. "My name is Naminé. It's nice to meet you sir."

"You can drop the 'sir'. Call me Mamoru." He smiled back, glancing over at Riku with raised eyebrows. "So, I'm making pork gyoza with cabbage and scallions. Want to help?"

"Sure."

"Alright, go wash up and I'll see you in the kitchen. Bathroom is down the hall to the right."

As the four guests left, Mamoru grabbed his son's shoulders, excitedly. "Finally! You've brought a girl home, finally! She's lovely! Can't wait to get to know her!"

"Dad!" He hissed, his face sunset-red. "Nami is a friend! We're not dating!"

"Uh huh. Go wash your hands and get started cutting those scallions."

"Yes sir."

Riku could hear his dad gleefully chuckling to himself as he left.

* * *

"Miss?"

Kairi rubbed her eyes as she sat up in bed.

What time was it?

"Miss Kairi?"

Oh, the maid, Tamiko. She stood over Kairi, shaking her. Her pale-pink curls bouncing as she tried to wake Kairi.

"Miss Kairi, Hercshal will be down to pick you up in fifteen minutes."

Kairi rolled over, looking at the clock. Five fourty-five. He's picking her up at six in the morning!?

She slid out of bed to find her dress washed, pressed, and steamed. "Oh, thank you Tamiko."

"You're welcome. I have breakfast prepared for you."

Tamiko bowed slightly and walked out of the room.

Kairi dressed quickly, getting ready within ten minutes. As soon as she stepped into the open, Tamiko handed her a small sack. "Two breakfast sandwiches with egg and sausage. Hercshal is downstairs waiting on you. Have a wonderful day, and a hope to see you again soon!"

"Thank you, Tamiko. Please tell Lady Hoshiko I said thank you."

"I will, Miss Kairi."

Kairi took the bag, smiling happily. With a final bow, she stepped outside the door. The glass elevator came up to her floor, taking her back down to the ground floor. Outside the tower, the driver stood on the sidewalk, looking at his cane.

"Miss Kairi." He nodded his head, gesturing to the green-gray jeep with no doors. It looked like a military vehicle without a turret on top(3). He gestured to the open passenger side. He took her bag of food as she climbed in, waiting until she fastened the seatbelts that crossed across her chest. He handed her the food and climbed in the driver side.

"How are you, Hercshal?"

"I'm fine."

"Is Yozora waiting for me?"

"Yes."

Any more details? No?

A man of few words.

The car began to move, Kairi unwrapping one of her sandwiches and eating it. Her eyes took in the shining skyline as the morning sun stretched its rays across, touching the beautiful city to wake it from its slumber. People began to come out of buildings, pouring out of subways, and cars drove pulled onto the highway.

Kairi leaned her head back, letting the wind whip her hair around as she ate. Somehow, she managed to not get hair in her mouth once.

Princess magic.

Perfect hair all the time.

Eleven minutes later, just as traffic was picking up around them, they pulled off the freeway. Finally, they stopped.

Kairi pushed some hair behind her ear.

Not one hair out of place.

The building she stared up at had tan bricks covering parts of the building that popped out from the main portion of the building which sported asymmetrical windows everywhere(4).

"This is headquarters?"

"Yes." Yozora stepped out of the shadow of the building, crossing his arms. "Don't ask for its name. Our predecessors weren't very creative, so it's just Headquarters. Come on, we need to get moving. I have places to be and we have a schedule to keep." Kairi hurried forward, following the prince, who kept his voice level. "Keep that in mind. You fall behind, or show up late, you'll find yourself in the bad books of everyone, and possibly suffer consequences for it."

The princess nodded as she fell into step beside him.

Seriously, why did all her friends have to have long legs!?

Yozora pushed the door open, holding it open for Kairi.

Kairi stepped into the main hall. Tile floors and walls stretched upwards; a staircase went up to a balcony. People in various uniforms- medical, military, business, technician- moved about, chatting together, talking on a phone, looking through paperwork, or staring at a tablet.

A military anthill.

"Wow."

"It's just a building."

"Not that. I live on a small island… I've never seen this many people in one building. That mall I went into didn't have that many people in it! I wonder if this building has more people in it than my island has on it. It's insane…"

"Yeah. Insane. But you can't sightsee." The prince groaned, the girl hearing the eye-roll in his voice. "This way." His hand grabbed her upper arm firmly, leading her into the hall to their left. More people moved about, holding clipboards or tablets. Some pushed carts piled with crates.

The two walked to a counter to the right. Kairi could see a room behind the counter, filled with crates.

Yozora groaned. "Where is she…? Lucky!?"

"HOLD ON! I'm doing inventory!" A chipper voice yelled from inside the room.

A young woman with espresso-brown skin and amber eyes jogged up to the counter. She pushed up her glasses, the black rims blending into the earpiece on her right ear. A sea-foam green dress with a cerulean belt; half the collar was cerulean, and the other half was pistachio-green. A mauve jacket covered the dress and Kairi caught a glimpse of gray boots.

"Wasn't your hair pink last week?"

The girl ran her hands through her Azure-dyed pixie cut. "It was. But I changed it." She glanced over at Kairi. "Oh my gosh! Who is this!?"

"Hi, I'm Kairi."

"Hey, Kairi! I'm Lucky! I'm the supply manager." She vaulted over the counter, grabbing Kairi's hands. "You are just the cutest thing!? Oh my gosh! Please tell me you are joining us!? Please! I NEED to be the one to design your uniform!"

Yozora let out a long sigh. "Lucky, focus. She's joining my squad. She needs a comlink, key for her quarters, meal pass, and a military ID card." The girl raised an eyebrow. "And yes, a new uniform…"

"YES!"

"And less pink on the new outfit."

"Excuse me!?" The supply manager blinked. "Do you seriously think I'm going to ruin that aesthetic that she's got? She works that pink! Seriously, I will stab you with my pen."

"You don't have a pen; you have a stylus."

"I will stab you with my stylus."

This did not phase Yozora in the slightest. "Bright pink doesn't work for stealth."

Lucky huffed, arms crossed. "Ugh, fine. But there will be a little pink, and you can't stop me."

"Whatever, Lucky. Just make it fast. We have to stay on schedule."

Lucky groaned dramatically. "Fine. Whatever." She pulled a small phone-like device out of her pocket. "Kairi, stand up straight, arms out." Kairi did as she was asked; Lucky pressed a button and a light spread over her body. "Turn around." The device again scanned the princess. "I'll get your outfit ready by tonight."

"Thanks."

Vaulting back over the counter, Lucky walked back into the room. "I'll grab the key, comlink, and meal pass. Get the ID card tonight with your uniform." Kairi could hear the woman rummaging around in the back before she returned with a small bag. "Pass and comlink are in the bag. I already activated the pass as well."

"Thank you, Lucky."

"You're welcome, girlie." She handed the bag over with a smile. "And hey, a number of us ladies are going out Friday night. Want to join us?"

"Uh, sure."

"Great!" Lucky cheered. "It'll be so awesome to have you with us! And since you're on Yozora's squad, if you want a break from that boy's club come join find me. I've got some chairs and a TV back here."

Yozora raised an eyebrow. "And you say that in front of your commander."

"You take my TV I stop the morning doughnuts. That's the deal and you know it."

"Whatever. Kairi, let's go."

"Later you two!"

Yozora led Kairi back into the main room, talking as they went. "Floors one and two are the lounge and supply distribution centers. Floor three is the medical center complete with a trauma center and surgical ward. Floor four and five contain the training rooms. The sixth floor is weapon storage. Seventh is where we're going; it has the cafeteria and the skywalk over to the living apartments. You'll get the rest of the tour later; I hope you're remembering all this because there are no maps."

"Are you serious!? Should've told me that sooner." Kairi groaned. She would've taken notes on her gummi phone.

"Getting lost will teach you then."

The princess narrowed her eyes as she followed the prince to an elevator full of other people. They squeezed in, riding up. They stopped on every floor but the second one until they finally stepped out on the seventh, leaving other people in the elevator behind them.

A cafeteria opened up to the left and a lounge lay to the left. Opposite from the main street, beside the elevator, a skywalk stretched over a busy street.

The skywalk showed the true life of the city. Cars and people walking under shining buildings. Scattering like crabs at low tide.

Across the skywalk, a lounge with a dry bar awaited them. "Alright, Kairi. Your room is 905. Take the key and go. I'll see you later."

With that, Yozora left.

Kairi stood alone in the lounge.

"Great…" She walked up to the staircase. Two floors up, five rooms down.

Kairi pulled the key out of the bag and stuck it in the lock, pushing open the door.

* * *

"That was delicious, Mr. Miyano."

"Thank you, Naminé, but you can just call me Mamoru."

The blonde smiled as she put more food into her mouth. "And you can call me, Nami. Where do you work?"

"Well, we just had a name change. Someone you know named Scrooge McDuck came here on… on Sora's request. Kairi's dad, Sora's mom, and I run a restaurant. We call it Skyward, in honor of Sora. Sora had Mr. McDuck help finance our restaurant, gave us a new makeover, gave us a new menu, and gave us a helping hand to make us the best restaurant on the islands."

Donald smiled sadly. "Sora really helped you guys out."

Mamoru nodded. "Yoko(5) works harder than anyone at work. She wants to distract herself from the fact that Sora is gone, and honestly Tai(6) and I have to force her to take days off to rest."

"She's heartbroken…"

"Entirely."

Naminé fiddled her fingers slightly. "Would she mind visitors or is she at work?"

"You know," Mamoru smiled softly, "she would probably love that. I offered dinner, but she refused. Donald, Goofy, Mickey, you three know where her home is. If you could go with Nami, Riku and I can clean up."

The mouse king nodded. "I like that. Naminé, let's go."

Riku picked up the plates from the table as the others got up. "Tell Miss Yoko I said hello."

"We will."

Riku heard them walk out the door as he began scrubbing plates clean. He didn't even look up as his dad walked in and began cleaning up the kitchen. "Say one thing about me and Nami and I'll walk out."

"I didn't even say anything!"

"I can hear your thoughts clearly."

Mamoru chuckled lightly. "She's a nice girl."

"Dad…"

"What!? I said nothing about you two; I just said she's a nice girl."

Riku shook his head. "Yeah, she is a nice girl. Look, sorry I didn't call you or come home. I just wanted to…"

"You were just distancing yourself like you do, you probably need to stop doing that… happens to be one thing you and your mother have in common." He paused, biting his lip. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"You didn't offend me." Riku set down the plate in his hand. "I don't even remember much of Mom anyway." A light chuckle escaped his lips. "You know, there were times I almost thought I'd get another mom, and maybe a little brother."

His dad laughed. "Is that why you turned into Sora's big brother?"

"Oh yeah," Riku laughed back, "I was surprised you and Miss Yoko never got hitched. Sora and I joked about being real brother all the time, so much so we acted like it."

Mamoru stopped, leaning against the counter. "We've thought about it, and I've even offered to marry her. Thing is, when your mom and Sora's dad ran off together, Yoko and I had you kids and each other. Seriously, without you, Sora, Tai, and Risa the two of us would've hit rock bottom."

"Why didn't you two marry?" Riku dried his hands, mirroring his dad's position against the counter.

"Yoko's choice. She said, she couldn't give her heart to any man after her husband ran out; she said she only had room for her son."

Riku nodded slowly, only trying to imagine how Yoko felt with Sora missing… no one had the heart to tell her that he was dead. "What ever happened to Mom and Mr. Miyu after they ran off?"

Mamoru stared up at the ceiling. "Heard about them for a few years. But… after the world fell, they were among the missing. I assume they were lost to darkness. And, I doubt we'll ever hear from your mother again."

"I haven't heard from her since she left. Not one card, birthday present, anything."

"I know, son…"

Riku sighed. "But, at least I had a great, loving father who taught me how to be a good man. Someone who could bounce back from their mistakes and… be someone better. And that's partially why I came home. I'm slipping back into that time when I was alone and depressed. I need your help, Dad."

"About time, kiddo." His father threw an arm around the teen. "You vanished for over a year, and when you come back, you tell me what crap you went through-"

"-and you told me that next time I feel like that, I need to tell you. I've put it off for a year. But it got worse. Kairi is off in another dimension, looking for Sora and I can't do anything to help." He clenched his fists. "I'm stuck here. I've been on my own for a year… of my own choice."

Mamoru pulled his son into a hug. "You know what that is, Riku? It's grief. You're still grieving that your best friend is dead and that you can't do anything. And I get it. How do you think I felt when your mom walked out me. I grieved. I grieved so much…"

Riku felt like a child again. His mind reached back to when his mom left, and he and his dad would just sit and cry.

Letting out their sadness.

Their anger.

Their fear.

"Dad… I need help. I can't do this alone."

"You're not, son. You never are." He pulled back, holding his son at arm's length, both of their blood-shot eyes meeting. "You have a bunch of new friends. When I met them, after they came here to celebrate and then to see Yoko, they seemed like amazing friends. And all the stories you've told me… Son, you have tried so hard to be the role-model and the big brother(7), but you need to let others take care of you now. It might not be me, but I think it would best if you go see them. Then you get your butt back here."

"Sounds good, Dad."

"Love you, kiddo."

"Love you too."

* * *

"Well, this is dull." Kairi huffed.

White walls. White sheets. White pillows.

The only thing not white was the cream-colored carpet and the doors.

"I hope I can paint this place." The girl clutched her tiny bag, which held the only things she had. She really needed to get some gil and go shopping. Maybe Lucky could help her out with that.

"ATTENTION!"

A hand slammed into the door, making Kairi jump. She turned around to see a tall, muscular woman behind her.

The woman glared down at the princess with mossy-green eyes; her bleach-blonde hair hung in a ponytail with part of sides of her head shaved. She wore a sleeveless gray turtleneck under a black vest. Black pants, held up by a dark teal belt, tucked themselves into silver boots.

She stomped into the room. For every step forward, Kairi took a step back until she bumped into the bed.

The woman reached out a fingerless gloved hand out, grabbing Kairi's collar. "Stand up straight! You're a soldier, not a frightened kitten!"

"I-I…" The girl pulled herself into a straighter position. "Sorry, you just surprised me."

"That's no excuse!" The woman let go of Kairi's collar. "I am Sergeant Alexis. I report directly to Commander Yozora. He has explained the entire situation to me, Kairi, and has given me the task of training you and introducing you to your new position and home."

"Oh, well, thank y-"

"Did I say you could speak!?"

"N-no ma'am…"

Alexis crossed her arms in front of her. "Kairi, do you know why we give new recruits blank rooms?"

"Um, to show that their potential is like a blank canvas just waiting to be painted…"

The sergeant laughed, a hearty laugh that vanished as suddenly as it started.

"You wish, naïve girl that you are. We're not so nice." Alexis towered over Kairi. "White walls, boring sheets, and boring floors… they're blank. Blank. Boring. Useless. Worth nothing unless covered up with something better. Just. Like. You."

* * *

**Well that was fun. **

**So, would you guys like to see Nami and the others meet Sora's mom next chapter? Let me know! **

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) Britannia is this world's version of the United Kingdom.

(2) This is the name of Riku's Japanese voice actor.

(3) The vehicle is a M1161 Growler. It's a light utility vehicle used by the military.

(4) This building is real. It is Square Enix headquarters in Tokyo.

(5) Sora's mom is named Yoko for Yoko Shimomura, the composer of the fantastic music of the KH series.

(6) Kairi's dad is named Tai for Tai Yasue, one of the directors of the KH series.

(7) The big brother talk is all from Riku's story.

* * *

_VAs:_

_Mamoru Miyano__\- Micah Solusod (Riku, Best Jeanist, Ame, Midnight, Akito Hyuga) _

_Tamiko__\- Jad Saxton (Yuki, Carla, Itsuka Kendo, Komoe Tsukuyomi, Akatsuki) _

_Lucky__\- Kimberly Brooks (Bumblebee, Allura, Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, Jasper)_

_Alexis__ – Cristina Valenzuela (Riven, Sailor Mars/Rei Hino, Swan, Marinette)_


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, that was a fun last chapter, and let's not even talk about the recent UX update…**

**For Mattman: to answer your question, I'm not really touching on the Organization members like Dem and Luxord because I want to leave that to Nomura. The Lost Masters might make an appearance, and as for the MoM… can't really say much about that. **

**Ok, let's do this. **

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Atlas and Catalina © to Lucywind!**

**Stella © to Yamichaos27!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective creators! **

**And all references to other properties belong to their respective creators.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Fire**

* * *

"What…?"

"You heard me, Kairi." Alexis grinned, her eyes lighting up with every word.

Was she enjoying this!?

"Yozora told me everything… about Sora, about how you want to save him. But, someone like you could never save him. You'll never open that door or lock it shut, not even with that magical weapon of yours, even though that legendary Keyblade of yours is literally the only reason you're worth anything. And you want to know why?" The sergeant leaned her face in closer. "You're weak. I can feel it from here. You're unable to do anything by yourself. And you reek of failure."

Each word felt like a knife in Kairi's heart. These words hurt more than Xehanort's sword tearing through the flesh on her back.

That wound was physical.

This one… this one tore into her very being.

"You might as well go home. With you around, Sora will never be saved. And I doubt he'd even want to be saved by someone like you."

"THAT DOES IT!"

Kairi summoned her Keyblade, swinging it with all the rage she felt inside.

Rage at the words.

Rage at herself.

The sergeant barely moved, catching the blade with one hand. Was… Kairi really that weak?

Straightening up, Alexis' smile changed, from cruel to… proud.

"Good." She let go of the blade. "Good thing I didn't give you much room to move. If you'd had the momentum, pretty sure you would've got me good with that swing."

"Wait, what?"

Alexis stepped back, crossing her arms, still smiling proudly. "You've got fire. That's all I wanted to know."

Kairi lowered her sword. "Wait, you just did that to make me angry?"

"Of course. I wanted to test you and your resolve; you have a hard task before you and without fire, you can't complete that task. That and, Yozora is a good friend to me. And anyone joining his squad needs to be worth it. You've got the resolve. That's what I wanted to see."

She held out a hand. "Now, Kairi, let's start again. You can call me Alexis."

Dismissing her blade, Kairi reached out and took the woman's hand. "Uh, sure. It's nice to meet you."

The sergeant put her arms behind her back, looking like the officer she was, but her face looked kinder than before. "Commander Yozora asked me to show you around and get the rest of the initial stuff done. We have a medical check to get you to, and then your comlink needs to be activated and hooked up to the network. After dinner we'll get your uniform from Lucky."

"Let me guess, we have to move quickly to stay on schedule."

"Not really. Yozora is much more a slave to the schedule than I am. If it's not totally pressing and we don't have an official time, I don't mind taking my time some. But, it doesn't look like you have much to do here, so we can head to the medical center."

Kairi let out a long breath, calming her heart which was still pumping hard after the initial angry outburst at her new companion. "Sure."

As the two women left the room, Alexis pointed down the hall. "Lucky, some of the other ladies, and I all live on this floor. I'm not the most social of people, but we all do hang out at times. Usually, it's Lucky who makes it happen."

Kairi now feeling slightly more relaxed, as Alexis seemed a much nicer companion than Yozora, studied the hall. Each door bore different decorations, distinguishing each person's space and personality.

One bore a hanging chalkboard with the words "Welcome" written in cursive. White wrapping paper covered in blue and purple polka dots covered the rest of the door.

The one next to Kairi's had little on it but sticky notes. On each note an inspirational, motivational quote stared back. She wondered if that was Alexis' room.

The other one that caught Kairi's eye was the one with animated figures plastered all over it. The sign hanging on the door said "Speak Friend and Enter"(1) in ornate letters.

"By the way, Kairi," Alexis fell back into step with the princess, "the first two floors here have a pool and gym if you want to work out some off the clock."

"I do love to swim, but I didn't bring a swimsuit."

"We can fix that."

The two walked down the stairs and back across the skywalk. Alexis didn't even go near the elevator, opting for the stairs instead. All the way down to third floor.

As soon as they stepped out of the stairwell, Kairi immediately tensed.

The white tiles and off-white walls. The rows of back-to back chairs.

Hospitals. Doctor's offices. Medical clinics.

She hated it.

She never liked going to the doctor.

Alexis walked up to the counter and didn't even speak to the receptionist. "Kairi, this way." She just pushed open the door to the back. The girl followed behind.

Just get this over with.

A beautiful woman with golden hair and a dimple under the right of her glittering silvery eyes approached; she wore translucent leggings, a short navy dress and shoes under a short white lab coat. "Hello, Alexis. This must be the young lady Lucky informed me of." She held out a hand. "Hello, my name is Catalina, but you can call me Cat."

"Nice to meet you, Cat. I'm Kairi."

"Kairi, come with me. I'll get some of the preliminary things done before my husband, the doctor comes. Alexis, I'll call you when I'm done."

Cat turned around, waving for the princess to follow. They moved into a small room with a medical berth. "Take a seat." Kairi jumped up onto the bed, legs dangling off the side as Cat closed the door. "So, do you have any preexisting medical conditions?"

"I have dissociative amnesia, at least that's what my doctor called it."

"Dissociative amnesia? When did that happen?"

"When I was five. My home was destroyed and… well I don't remember anything from before that time."

Cat scribbled notes on her sheet of paper. "I see. Anything else?"

"A long scar across my back.(2)"

Catalina looked up, silently asking the obvious question, but she kept her mouth shut. "Well then, let's get on with the rest of the exam. You look nervous, there's no need to be."

"I don't like hospitals."

Cat took her stethoscope and began listening to Kairi's heartbeat and lungs. "Any particular reason?"

"Well," Kairi said as the nurse tested her reflexes, "I had a nightmare, or it might be a memory… of a hospital or a laboratory. I don't remember exactly what happened, but something frightens me about it."

"Think it has to do with a situation connected to your dissociative amnesia?"

"Maybe."

Cat measured Kairi's blood pressure. "Well, I'll make a note of that. Now, I need to take a blood test. You alright with that?"

"Not a fan of needles either, but I'll do it."

The girl closed her eyes at the nurse drew some blood.

The nurse grinned. "All done. I'll let Alexis back in as I take that to the lab." The woman gave one last soft smile before stepping out of the room.

Alexis stepped back in, holding two paper cups. "Want some water?"

"Sure… gosh I hate doctor's offices."

"You are not the only one," Cat sauntered back in, still smiling. "There are many people like that. Alexis, how are you?"

The sergeant leaned against the wall. "Fine. Did Lucky tell you the plan for Friday?"

"She did. So glad you're joining us this week. By the way, I'm going shopping tomorrow to get some new clothes for Friday if you want to join."

"I'm just wearing this."

The nurse set down the clipboard, slightly glaring at the other woman. "Seriously? Take off the uniform for one night. It's time off."

"I'll pass. But Kairi here doesn't really have any clothing, at least I didn't see any luggage. She could use some shopping."

"This conversation can finish later." A man strode into the room. He wore a tan button-down over his navy pinstripe pants, nice shoes, and a lab coat; his slicked-back black hair, pulled into a ponytail, hung over his shoulder as his brown eyes studied the room full of ladies.

Cat giggled. "Oh, come on. Let us have our girl talk."

"I will, when the examination is over."

He smirked as Cat kissed his cheek. "Kairi, meet my husband, Doctor Atlas. I'll be in the room next door, dear."

"Alright, Catalina." Atlas looked down at the clipboard in his hands. "So, you have a long scar on your back, and you suffer from dissociative amnesia?"

"Yes sir."

Alexis raised an eyebrow slightly at the statement. "And before you say a word, Doc, I know the drill. Not a word."

"Yep. You're only here because I can't be in here alone with anyone other than my wife." Atlas set down the clipboard and grabbed an otoscope. "Let me take a look at your eyes and ears." As he continued, a steady stream of comments left his lips. "We'll need to set an appointment for a mental health screening with Catalina. She's booked on weekdays, so Saturday morning at eleven would be the best time. I hope that works for you because if not, too bad."

Kairi bit her lip to keep from giggling. The fact that he just muttered to himself like this. He reminded her of Even in that way.

"But of course we could've given you a better time slot if _someone_ had taken the time to inform us ahead of time that you were coming, but _no_. No one tells us anything. It's not like we're the ones who keep you guys alive or anything."

"Atlas," Alexis chuckled, at least she too thought he was hilarious, "she was a sudden addition. Commander Yozora had her paperwork rush greenlit by the king himself."

The doctor laughed slightly. "Great, the higher ups ignoring protocol. It's not like the protocol is there for a reason. But you know what, there were probably 'extenuating circumstances'. There are always extenuating circumstances. And when those circumstances arise we are the last to know and we have to prepare quickly. I would love to be in the know when things happen, but who am I. I'm just the doctor." He pulled back, otoscope in hand. "Now, since you're new, here's how it works. This facility is for you to use; if you have a serious medical issue, ask for me. If it's not serious, don't you dare ask for me. Now get." With that, he set down the otoscope, picked up the clipboard, and walked out.

The two girls glanced at each other before snickering. "Is he always like that?"

"Oh yeah. Always."

Kairi jumped off the berth and walked out. "So, what's next?"

"How does lunch sound? Our cafeteria actually has some dang-good food."

"Lunch sounds great."

* * *

A small house near the mountain came into the view of Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and Naminé. The mouse king knocked on the door.

A woman with mousy brown hair that spiked slightly at the bottom and around the bangs opened the door. Her steel blue eyes lit up slightly, destroying the sorrow that had previously been there. "Oh, hello." She dusted flour off her frilled lilac-colored shirt and burgundy skirt, the white powder barely missed her simple black flats.

"Hi, Miss Yoko."

Sora's mother stepped aside. "Come inside. Ignore the mess, I was baking cupcakes earlier."

"Thank you." Goofy took off his hat. "Sorry to barge in like this."

"It's no trouble. All of you are welcome here anytime." Yoko smiled as Jiminy pulled himself out of Goofy's pocket and leapt to the woman's shoulder. "I've just had so many guests tonight. It's quite a surprise."

Naminé stepped into the living room first, pausing slightly at the sight of Kairi's parents sitting on the couch.

She'd met them once. And it was slightly awkward.

Risa, Kairi's mom, smiled, piping up. "Oh, Naminé!" She hopped up, her strawberry-blonde wavy chin-length hair bouncing. She came over, onyx-brown eyes glimmering with excitement as her simple coral button-down dress. "It's good to see you again. Last time we saw you we didn't really have time to talk."

"Um, yes." The blonde bit her lip.

"Come join us," Tai motioned, "tell us what's been going on." He moved some of his long, straight hair(3) out from in front of his jade-green eyes; it looked a little wrinkled, but looking at the dirty chef's jacket Tai wore, his chocolate-cherry hair, which fell almost to his shoulders had probably been in a hairnet or under a hat all night.

Yoko sat down as the others sat. "I have chocolate cupcakes in the oven, and you're welcome to have some if you wish."

"Thank you, Miss Yoko."

Jiminy hopped into Yoko's hands. "How are you doing?"

"I," she let out a long sigh, "I'm alright. I've been working constantly since Sora… since Sora-"

Donald laid a wing on the woman's arm, kindly. "I'm sorry. We've been trying to find him."

"I know you are. He's just… Sora's all I have. But I'm grateful that all of you showed up to support me. Honestly, I needed it."

Goofy looked on the verge of tears as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "We all miss him… I'm a single parent too(4). If anything happened to my son I don't know what I'd do."

Yoko sniffed, pulling back any tears that threatened to pour. "Please tell me that you have some news… just something."

"That's why we're here." Mickey gave a gentle smile as the woman gasped, her head shooting up. "We have some news."

"Tell me!"

Naminé nodded. "Yes. Because of Riku's dreams, we were able to figure out his general location."

Yoko's hands shot up to cover her mouth as her eyes watered up once again. "And…!?"

"Well," Jiminy sat down, tipping back his hat, "he's in another worldline, which is basically an alternate universe. That's why we hadn't been able to locate him for so long."

"Another…worldline? How will he come back? How can he come home?"

"One of us had to go get him. It's more difficult to get to another worldline, but we managed to send one person. The person with the strongest connection to Sora."

"Kairi." Tai huffed.

"Yeah. Kairi." Naminé nodded. "She's already in the other worldline, and we have no way to get to her. All we can do now is try and find a way to make her and Sora's return easier."

Risa leaned forward, clasping her hands together. "I had a feeling. We saw Riku return, and he hasn't come back since he and Kairi both came to tell us that she was going to go to sleep to try and find a way to get Sora back. Now, he comes back and no Kairi. I knew something had happened…"

"Honestly," Mickey spoke up, "it happened so fast. We found out the location and Kairi left. It happened very quickly. We know things have been quiet, but that's another reason why we came." He hopped off the couch and handed Risa and Yoko a gummiphone. "The instant those two come back, you will be the first to know."

Yoko clutched the phone to her chest. "Thank you. I'll keep it on me always." Her eyes glimmered as she glanced around. "You are all welcome to stay the night here if you wish."

"We would love to stay, but we need to get moving to meet up with the others in the morning."

"At least stay for cupcakes."

"We can stay for cupcakes."

Yoko smiled, glancing up at a photo of her darling son. "Thank you… thank you for everything."

* * *

Kairi shoved a fork-full of food into her mouth. "Oh my gosh! This is so good!"

"What exactly is on your plate?" Alexis took a bite of baozi(5).

"It's spicy shrimp pasta with garlic tomato sauce, but the pasta is spiralized butternut squash."

"Why…?"

Kairi giggled before eating more of the pasta. "I'm from an island. This stuff is like a guilty pleasure of mine. My friend Selphie and I would only get stuff like this on a special occasion." In went another bite of food. "And you guys can just get this stuff every day!"

Alexis laughed. "So, mind if I ask about, the amnesia?"

"I don't mind at all. It's not like it's a secret in my life. When I was five, my home was destroyed, and I washed up on the beach of an island. A sailor found me and took me to the hospital. He and his wife ended up adopting me. I may not be able to remember my biological family, but I love my family now. My mother is the mayor of our island, and my dad now co-owns a restaurant and works as the sous-chef."

"Sounds like you have a good family."

Alexis stacked up her dishes and silently waited for Kairi to finish off her pasta. "Alright, now we have to pay a visit to our communication specialist; your comlink needs to be activated and hooked up to the network. Trust me, this girl is one you want to be friends with, though I don't expect that to be much of a problem."

Kairi wiped her mouth and jumped up, the food giving her a new burst of energy. "I'm ready. What floor?"

"Fourteen."

"Please, don't say we're taking the stairs."

The sergeant got that evil smile again. "What do you think?"

"I'll meet you at the top of the staircase." The princess turned toward the elevator, only for her companion to grab her hood.

"No. Stairs."

Kairi let out a huff but followed the woman.

Up.

And up.

And up.

Seven more flights of stairs.

Floor fourteen.

Oh! Kairi would have calves of steel if she kept hanging around Alexis.

Maybe her calves would be a strong as Sora's one day… he did have really nice looking calves…(6)

Wait-

Thank goodness she did not say that out loud.

Floor fourteen seemed to be a single room section with a hall all around against the windows. A first door, covered in black cloth, bore a yellow sign that said "Welcome to the Batcave".

Alexis pushed the door open. "Stella!"

"Hold on! I am planting flowers!"

Kairi stepped inside the room. Pale green walls with shelves everywhere. Some of the room contained the things she expected to see in a communication specialist's office. But most of the shelves contained figurines. One had more manga than Kairi had ever seen outside of a library, and another a stack of anime on DVD. Posters for movies hung on the wall, and one looked like an album cover with a woman holding two swords: "Facing Fears" by Ueki Hui(7).

Sitting in a massive gaming chair, a young woman slumped over, feet kicked up on the desk, a portable game console in hands.

She had golden hair in a ponytail and deep red eyes. She wore a white shirt under a gray camera vest, complete with a multitude of pockets, and goggles that hung around her neck. Orange gloved hands tapped the buttons on the console as it rested against her tan cargo shorts and black leggings. Gray boots barely touching one of the six computer monitors around her desk.

"Stella, work needs to be done."

"Hold on! I just got Mammal Crossing this morning. My island is a wreck and I am not leaving until I get rid of this freaky villager."

"Stella!"

"FINE!" Stella swung her feet down, pausing her game. "What's up?" Then, she saw Kairi. "Oh! This the new girl?" She leapt up, grabbing Kairi's hand, shaking it. "Nice to meet you, I'm Stella! What's your name?"

"Kairi."

The blonde put a hand on her hip. "Let me guess, comlink setup?"

"Yeah."

Stella held out a hand; as soon as Kairi placed the earpiece in her hand, the girl spun around, jumping into the chair. Kairi looked down as something bumped her leg. At first, she thought it was a small animal, but then she looked down and saw a tiny robot that seemed to be vacuuming up the floor.

The door opened behind the two guests. "Hey, ladies!" Magia slipped past them, still looking as stylish as ever.

"Oh, hello, Magia." Kairi smiled. She liked him compared to the other two in her new squad. "What brings you here?"

"He's feeding his addiction." Stella said flatly.

The red-head laughed. "She's right." He walked over to a small table with a regular coffee maker, an espresso machine, and a french press. His hands went immediately to the espresso machine. "Ooooh!" The smell of coffee hit him. "Oh the beauty that is coffee!"

"You are a caffeine addict."

"I am very aware of this fact."

Stella spun around in her chair, handing Kairi the small device back. "Put it in your left ear. It'll feel weird for a bit, but you'll get used to it."

"Ok." The princess put the thing in her ear, squirming slightly at the weird feeling. "So, how do I know if it's working?"

Stella put a hand to her left ear. "Lucky, give her a call."

In Kairi's left ear, she heard Lucky's voice. "_Hey girlie. Can you hear me?_"

"Hold the comlink and say the name of the person you're calling first. Then say what you want."

Kairi put a finger to her left ear. "Lucky-" she heard a slight beep "- I can hear you."

"_Great! Don't forget, come see me later for your uniform. I'm telling you, you're gonna look cute!_"

"Lucky, thanks. I'll be there." Kairi grinned, looking over at Stella. "It's working."

"Great! So, you're the one Lucky was talking about. She said we had an adorable new coworker, but just saying she looks at people our age, as I'm assuming you're about my age, and if we're cute she lets us know. She's 'threatened' to adopt me once before." Stella picked up her game console once again. "But hey, it's nice to have someone my age, other than Aegis, around. If you want to hang out, let me know. I would love to have someone to watch anime with."

Kairi giggled. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. I've never been much of an anime fan, but I'd love to try some."

Stella grinned, her face nearly splitting apart. "Yes! There's this one anime I love, it's called Berser-"

"NO!"

"Stella, don't you dare!"

"Kairi, if she ever tries to show you 'Berserk'(8), run!" Magia sipped his coffee. "It's a hot mess. And if you really have a heart of pure light, stay away from that show."

"Party poopers!" Stella huffed. "Whatever. So, Maggie, you here for your 'fix'?"

Fix?

Wait, did she mean…?

Magia leaned on the back of Stella's chair. "You know it."

The blonde girl jumped up and went to her filing cabinet. "Remember, your payment is due next week. Pay up or-"

"-or you'll make my life a living hell. I know."

Stella pulled the filing cabinet back only to reveal a hole in the wall with a smaller cabinet. "Magia… Magia… ah! Here it is." She pulled open a small cabinet and grabbed a tiny little metallic package. "One peppermint patty." She tossed the sweet treat back to the hat-wearing guy. "Lexi, want yours too?"

"Sure."

"Wait, what is going on? What is this?"

Stella laughed. "Thing is, the king put a ban on sweets. If you noticed, there are no desserts in the cafeteria. This was his way of trying to keep us healthy. So, a few of us banned together to start a smuggling ring of sugary goodness." She tossed a small paper bag to Alexis before she pushed the filing cabinet back. The girl jumped back into her chair before scooping up the little vacuum robot in her arms. "I am the mafia of sweets." She stroked the robot like a supervillain stroking a cat. "So, Kairi… for a small monthly fee, I can smuggle you whatever sweet you like. Hot," she pointed to Alexis who sunk her teeth into a warm cinnamon roll, "or cold," she gestured to Magia digging into his chocolate-covered goodness, "I've even done ice cream."

Kairi barely stopped herself from laughing.

She felt like she was looking down at some supervillain who wanted to tempt her. Tempt her with sweets.

"So, what is your sugary, guilty pleasure, Miss Kairi?"

"Well, I'm partial to chocolate raspberry parfaits."

Stella set down her robot. "Done! I'll have one by next week, and you can start next payment period. I'll send you one warning, and if you're late… well, don't be surprised if your comlink stops working, or if any technical devices you own start screwing up suddenly." Her smile warmed up. "By the way, can I have your phone number. It's easier to text people rather than use the comlink system for personal conversation."

"I have a phone, but I don't think I have a phone number…" Kairi pulled out her gummi phone, only for Stella to rip it from her hands. "Hey!"

"What is this!?" The communication's specialist turned the device over in her hands. "I've never seen a phone like this." She turned it on and moved through the functions on the device. "What network is it on? What's it made of?"

"Uh…"

The girl looked up at Kairi, eyes bright. "Can I borrow it!? I want to take a look at it, and I know our other tech-head, will want to as well! Pleeeeeease? Can I borrow it!?"

"Sure. I really, just want it back intact. It's my only way to contact home."

Stella gingerly held it in her hands. "I'll treat it as if it was my own child. Don't worry. Now, today has probably been a wild day, so you should take the rest of the day to chill."

"I'd love to."

"Or," Magia slipped into view, alternating between sipping his coffee and eating his peppermint patty, "we could go down to the training rooms. I for one would like to see what my new teammate it capable of. What do you think, Alexis?"

The sergeant nodded. "I agree. She has fire, I know that. But, I would love to see what she can do. Kairi, grab some coffee, and meet us on floor 4. We'll go secure our training room. And be prepared. You're fighting us both."

Great…

Just great.

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! **

**There won't be a rush of OCs in the next chapter, but there are more to come!**

**Thanks to my friends who helped me with these characters!**

* * *

Footnote:

(1) This is a reference to the dwarf door in "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring".

(2) I shouldn't have to say where this came from.

(3) His hair is based on Hiromi Sena's hair from the anime "Food Wars".

(4) I'm deciding that Max does totally exist in this universe.

(5) This is Chinese food that some people call dumplings, and it was the type of dumpling seen in the Pixar short "Bao".

(6) This is based on a joke that is based on the moment in the KH1 manga where Kairi recognizes Sora when he was a Heartless because of his calves.

(7) This is based on a real album cover by a female singer whose surname starts with a "U" and a first name starts with an "H". ;)

(8) If you know this show, you know why Kairi probably shouldn't see this.

* * *

_VAs:_

_Catalina- __Michelle Ruff (Sadayo Kawakami, Euphemia li Britannia, Yoko Littner)_

_Atlas- __Daran Norris (Knock Out, Cosmo, Mr. Turner, J. Jonah Jamison, Ra, Rama) _

_Yoko- __Kath Soucie (Sora's Mom, Maketh Tua, Mera, Maddie Fenton, Vivi Ornitier)_

_Tai- __Sonny Strait (Maes Hughes, Korosensei, Usopp, Arsene Lupin III, Present Mic)_

_Risa- __Kate Oxley (Fuyumi Todoroki, Misaki Kirihara, Mai Otsuka, Detective Simone)_

_Stella- __Charlet Chung (D. Va/Hana Song, Julia Argent, Margaret "Echo" Pearl)_


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is gonna be wild! And it's going to reveal Kairi's new outfit!**

**Enjoy the feels, I mean enjoy the chapter!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix! **

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their particular owners! **

* * *

**Chapter 7: Snap**

* * *

This…

Was going to suck.

Kairi finally went down to the fourth floor. She managed to get a list of floors from Stella, so she wouldn't get lost.

Stella said the largest room would be where Alexis and Magia went.

And that was exactly where she found them.

Alexis smirked, picking up a metal rod. From the end, energy blades sprouted, taking the shape of the head of an axe. Magia pulled the handles of his rapiers from where they hung at his side, extending the blades.

"Ready, Kairi?"

No…

Still, she summoned her Keyblade, taking a fighting stance. "Ready!"

Magia moved first, spiraling ice across the training room toward her. Kairi slid to the left, golden light glimmering at her heels as she threw her Keyblade at the mage.

Kairi saw Alexis charging at her just as Destiny's Embrace slammed into Magia. The princess smirked as light covered her, pulling her in a golden stream to her blade, giving him little time to dodge her uppercut.

She moved to finish her attack but dodged as Alexis came up from behind. The round shield glimmered as the axe bounced off. Keyblade in the air, Kairi unleashed a surge of light from the shield(1), sending both opponents back.

Magia skidded to a stop, breathing hard as he tipped back his hat. "Not bad."

"You're full of surprises," Alexis grinned, "but playtime is over."

She charged forward, stopping right before Kairi to spin around, swinging her axe. Kairi blocked, the axe glancing off her shield. Kairi attacked back with Starcracker, but Alexis drove her weapon into the ground, allowing her to brace. In fact, the impact of the attack seemed to help propel her swing around the handle, giving Kairi no time to react as Alexis drove her foot into the princess' stomach.

Kairi felt the pressure forcing all the air out of her in one painful breath.

She flew back, catching herself as she rolled across the floor.

That hurt.

That really hurt.

Kairi pulled herself back up just in time to block a strong, downward slash from Alexis. This time, her Starcracker managed to throw her back. Kairi barely pulled herself to her feet before she had to dodge an attack from Magia.

He attacked twice before blasting Kairi back with an Aero spell. She skidded across the floor, putting up a barrier as he held the rapiers together.

"Ready Kairi? HELLFIRE!" A ring of fire exploded around him.

Thankfully, Kairi's barrier protected her from the attack.

Attack after attack.

Kairi blocked, and blocked. Her barrier and Starcracker got a serious workout. She got in attacks where she could, but she felt like she spent more time hiding behind her barrier.

But her strategy seemed to work well. She used magic to attack from a distance, and utilized Starcracker when her opponents came close.

"Come on, Kairi!" Alexis yelled. "Show us what you can really do!"

"Let us have it!"

Fine then.

Kairi tightened her grip on her blade before she charged in, slashing over and over. She hardly noticed as Yozora and Aegis stepped into the training room. All she cared about was winning. A soft glow covered her body as she shot forward, slashing over and over in a beam of light appearing on all sides of her two adversaries(2). Seven times over.

After her attack, she slid to a stop. "Good enough for you?"

"Much better." Alexis and Magia walked over to a table, grabbing two purple bottles before downing the liquid inside. Kairi walked over as Magia held out a bottle to her. "Here, take a tonic."

"Tonic?"

"It heals you a bit."

Oh, so it was a potion in a different bottle. She took a sip. Yep, even tasted like a potion.

Kairi nearly spit out her drink as Magia patter her on the back. "Not bad, Kairi. Not bad at all."

"All I saw was a lot of defense and one powerful move. Nothing more." Yozora crossed his arms, eyes stone cold.

"She really had did well at first. She did some sort of teleporting thing when she threw her weapon. It was pretty awesome! Honestly, Kairi, for such a girly looking weapon, you can use it well, but you did revert to just a defensive strategy at one point. I mean, it still worked, but you need to work on going more for the offensive."

Yozora let a tiny smirk slip past his lips. The first thing akin to a smile Kairi had seen on his face. "You think that you're up for another fight? I would like to test you myself."

"Sure, I'm up for it."

Yozora nodded. "By the way, as powerful as that attack was, attacks of that caliber are against the rules to use in the training area. We don't want to send anyone downstairs to the medical facility. You get a pass since you didn't know."

"Oh," the girl blinked, "I didn't know that. Thankfully I didn't use another attack I have. It's not really safe to use inside due to the structural damage it can cause."

Alexis laughed. "Oh wow. Do you name your attacks?"

"Yeah! The big, building damaging one is called 'Heart of a Princess'."

That…

That brought some stares.

"Princess?"

"Are you a princess?"

Oops. "Kind of. As I mentioned the day we first met, I have a heart of pure light." Well, this was news to Alexis. "People like me are known as Princesses of Heart. So, technically, I have the title of princess, but I have no castle and no real title. But I'm kind of a princess, yeah. But enough about that, come on Yozora. Fight me."

Yozora took out his crossbow and blade, walking into the fighting ring. Kairi followed, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the Keyblade. Yozora didn't seem like someone who would hold back.

And he didn't. Within a second, he dashed forward, teleporting in red particles, putting her on the defensive immediately. Every time she moved in for an attack, he made her block. Block and dodge. Block and dodge. Block and dodge.

"Block this."

Yozora held up his blade, shooting a red stream of light into the air. A shimmering dome of triangles flickered into existence around them.

Kairi barely heard Alexis groan. "Not inside, Commander!"

A metal orb appeared overhead. The galaxy pattern on the dome flashed for a moment before turning the dome and the floor completely white. The orb overhead shattered as Yozora teleported into the air, sending red shockwaves across the ground toward the princess.

Kairi jumped to avoid them only for Yozora to teleport again.

This time, data squares began to appear along the walls, turning into small gigas. Kairi barely had time to process all this as the gigas charged at her. She jumped into the air, leaping over one and onto another. Just as the data-giga she stood on began to vanish, she pushed off, leaping into the air to avoid the seven other gigas that came toward her.

Again Yozora appeared, but the red data-cubes appeared around him again. And now there were four more of him.

How many tricks did he have!?

Kairi blocked as he did this clone attack three times.

The white dome and floor faded away as Yozora stood in the middle of the room.

"What was that!?"

Yozora looked down at his sword. "I can use N-cypher(3) to create a digital copy of things I've fought if it's nonliving." He looked down at the sword before his brows furrowed. "I wonder… I used it in my dream…"

The red blade seemed to retract into the hilt. The digital squares erupted from the blade. Kairi's eyes widened… her breath catching in her throat as a red shape began to form from the hilt.

A long blade with crown-shaped teeth.

"Kingdom Key…"

Yozora studied the blade for a moment. "It works…"

Kairi stared at the blade. Sora's Keyblade…

How did he have Sora's Keyblade!?

How!?

She felt tears prick at her eyes. But that gave her opponent all he needed. He shot forward, Kairi suddenly finding herself lying on the ground with the digital Kingdom Key at her throat.

"You lost focus." The prince stepped back, putting away his weapons as he walked away.

Kairi shook her head as she pushed herself to her feet. "Th-that's Sora's… how did you…?"

"I fought him in my dreams… I didn't think it would translate over to the real world. Guess it really did work since you recognized it."

Kairi crossed her arms, biting her lip. "Could you please not use that… please?"

Yozora raised an eyebrow. "I'll use it if it's useful. Now that we have an idea what you can do, we need to figure out where you'll fit on the team." He plopped down on a bench. "Typically, I take the lead and deal with the main group of enemies. Magia uses magic to support us and deal with multiple enemies. Aegis is a heavy hitter."

"He's the tank."

"I'm not the tank."

Yozora rolled his eyes. "To use another term, yes he is the tank. So… seeing what you can do… well, I didn't see your offensive moves."

"She can close the distance between her and an opponent very quickly, much faster than any of us." Magia chirped. "She's fast. And while she did go on the defensive a lot, that spell she uses after blocking was awesome. She just needs to work on going on the offensive a bit."

Aegis snorted. "I saw none of what you're saying. All I see is a girl who has zero confidence in her own abilities."

Excuse me!?

"Honestly, she shouldn't be in battle," the young man pushed his glasses up his nose as he spoke, "if anything, she can stay in the back as support. Healing us and such."

Uh…

NO.

"Look," Kairi stormed up to him, "I will heal you when you need it, like a good teammate, but if you expect me to just sit back and do nothing, then forget it! I can fight just like you. And if you don't believe it, I'll prove it right here, right now!"

"Kairi, I wouldn't…"

Aegis shrugged. "If you want me to prove my point, I will indeed fight you."

"I'll prove you wrong!"

"Kairi, this is a bad idea…"

Any attempts to convince the girl to stop fell upon deaf ears as she stepped back into the ring. Her muscles and lungs ached from the previous two fights. No rest. No water.

But she ignored that.

Focusing everything on the smug jerk before her.

FORGET DEFENSE!

Her legs propelled her forward as she threw her Keyblade, moving to close the gap. Bust as soon as she teleported to her blade, her enemy's green blade flew into view, hitting her sword. The impact, and due to her feet not being on the ground, sent her flying backwards.

Kairi skidded across the floor, trying to stay on her feet. Her body screamed at her to stop, but she charged again to find Aegis upon her, slashing downward. The blow came strong and fast, her exhausted body not finding the strength within to stop it as the girl hit the ground.

"Give up. You can't beat me… no one as weak as you could."

_"__A weakling like you could never defeat us"_

Kairi forced herself up, going in close again for an attack. This time a sideways slash sent her tumbling across the ground.

"Honestly, if that's the best you've got, you're useless."

_"__Useless girl._"

Again, Kairi got up, this time trying to get around behind her opponent and close the gap again. But, he quickly turned, catching her blade as his own attack came from below, sending her flying into the air, and crashing back down.

"Honestly." Aegis pushed his glasses back up. "You really think you'll open the doors to death and save that Sora guy. Someone like you could never do something so heroic. You're out of your league."

_"__Someone like you could never save anyone."_

"SHUT UP!"

Kairi jumped up, her heart throbbing in her ears as she charged at him once more.

Aegis just sighed as he raised his sword; the blade pulsed glowing green as he brought it down on her Keyblade, poised to block.

"AEGIS NO!"

Kairi felt the blade make contact with hers. A shockwave shot through her body.

SNAP

Kairi's legs fell out from under her as pain consumed her. She felt her head hit the ground…

Then nothing.

* * *

_Kairi felt her arm throb as Xemnas twisted it, threatening to dislocate or even break it. She tried to struggle and summon her Keyblade, but the pain she felt stopped any concentration. Not to mention after he'd restrained her and Sora her energy fell… which is literally the only reason he was able to catch her like this. _

_Xemnas held one arm in that position over her head, ready to snap it. He held her other arm behind her back, his grip on her wrist nearly cutting off blood flow to her hand. He dragged her through the dark portal and out the other side. _

_He threw her to the dusty ground. _

_Kairi gasped as her arm finally untwisted to a point where she could feel it again. _

_"__So, it has come to this." Kairi looked up to see Master Xehanort himself standing about six feet away, glancing back at her. "Welcome, Princess." _

_Kairi sat up, holding her pained left arm. "What is this…?" _

_"__Part of the plan." Young Xehanort walked past her, smirking down at the girl. "Should Sora get in our way too much, we would turn to you." _

_Kairi refused to look at him, turning her eyes to her left shoulder which had begun to show a deep purple bruise. _

_This was bad. She would have to find a way out. If they thought she was too hurt or had given up, she might be able to surprise them. _

_"__They believed you to be some sort of thorn in our side, as you are one of the seven hearts. They believed we wouldn't destroy you because we needed you." Oh no... That was Ansem's voice._

_Master Xehanort._

_Xemnas._

_Ansem._

_Young Xehanort._

_Four of them. Four against one. _

_Kairi closed her eyes as she gripped her injured arm tighter. Sora… They wanted to use her against him. But she wouldn't let them._

_She would protect him. _

_"__You will fail." The girl looked up to see the smiling face of Young Xehanort. "You promised to keep him safe, but you won't." _

_Her eyes widened. How did he…?_

_"__Did you think we weren't watching you? And the Destiny Islands are my home. I know all too well what it means when two people share a Paopu fruit. That bond saved you once, when Sora had to dive into sleep, using the power of waking. You kept him together, didn't you…"_

_No answer. _

_"__In the end his fate is your doing." The young man laughed. "You saved him and he saved the others… but now. He stands upon the brink. Should he dive too deep with the power of waking again, he will not come back." _

_What!?_

_"__But, he wouldn't be at that brink if it weren't for your meddling. And I'm sure, he'll do anything to save you. Even make that ultimate sacrific-" _

_Kairi sprung forward, summoning her Keyblade as she slashed at the young man. His taunting smiled before her as he jumped backwards._

_"__No! I won't let that happen!" The princess gripped her Keyblade, facing Master Xehanort who stood back, watching. "And if it does, I'll save him!" _

_The girl sprinted toward the old man, only for Ansem to appear between them. No matter. She'd go through him!_

_Throwing her Keyblade, she teleported in front of the man, slashing at him as his guardian began to appear. The Heartless creature reached down, but the girl slid away, barely managing to put up her shield as Xemnas and Young Xehanort leapt upon her. _

_Ansem chuckled as the girl glared through the magical shield. "A weakling like you could never defeat us. You are still as weak as the day I held you captive in that laboratory_(4)_, so long ago." Kairi blinked as images of a lab flashed before her eyes. "You could do nothing then, and you can do nothing now." _

_Blasting back Xemnas and Young Xehanort with Starcracker, Kairi rushed forward, casting magic as she ran. Ansem dodged it, his Guardian flying around just in time to slam into the girl. She rolled across the ground, managing to stop herself. _

_She jumped up, ready to continue. _

_Orange eyes flashed into view as Xemnas appeared, towering over her. "Useless girl." His blades flashed into view. She blocked one, but the other hit her in the left thigh, causing her leg to buckle. "You are just as useless as before. You could do nothing but sit in the dungeon and hope. And here you are, trying… pretending to be some sort of warrior." _

_"__Shut up!" Kairi spun around, leaping into the air to push the man back. _

_It worked, but as she lifted off the ground, something wrapped around her leg and slammed her face-first into the ground. She looked; Young Xehanort's Keyblade, now as a whip, wrapped around her ankle. _

_The young man smirked again as he jerked his blade back, pulling the whip, dragging Kairi across the ground. She tried to stop, even driving her Keyblade into the ground. _

_All that did was make her lose her grip. Destiny's Embrace flew from her hands, bouncing across the ground. _

_Kairi reached out for it._

_Ignoring her blurry vision._

_Ignoring the cuts across her body._

_Ignoring the straining muscles. _

_Ignoring the exhaustion._

_She had to keep goi-_

_The heel of a black boot slammed into her face._

_Her body gave up._

_The last thing she saw as she black out, was Young Xehanort, as he grabbed her by the hair, lifting up her face to look at him. "Someone like you could never save anyone. So, remember, Kairi-"_

_…_

_"__You-"_

_"__killed him." _

* * *

Kairi gasped.

Her eyes stared up at a ceiling, with bright lights. Somewhere, she could hear voices yelling.

"YOU ARE THE BIGGEST IDIOT I'VE EVER MET! THAT ATTACK CAN CUT A GIGA IN HALF!"

"Then it's a good thing her weapon was made of stronger stuff than a Giga."

"You could've killed her!"

"That was not my intent."

"Well it sure looked that way!"

Kairi turned her head to see white walls and an IV stuck into her arm. She noticed the beeping of a heart monitor.

"Kairi!" Cat appeared in her vision, the nurse looking relieved. "I'm so glad you're awake. How do you feel?"

"Cat… where am I?"

"The emergency services area of the medical ward. Alexis brought you here in bad shape." She pulled up a stool and sat down. "How do your legs feel?"

Kairi looked down at her legs, one of which looked purple and just… bad. She moved them and winced. "They hurt…"

Cat sighed. "Well, I'll cast another healing spell on them and get you a X-Tonic(5). They're looking better, but the bones probably need to fix themselves a little more."

Bones?

"What happened?"

"Aegis hit you with his Fracture attack. He typically uses that to destroy large Gigas in one hit; I don't know what he was thinking using it against you. You were able to block it, but the impact broke your legs... One of them had the bone sticking out. I managed to repair them." The nurse held her hands over Kairi's legs, a green glow warming the injured body parts. "I'll be back with the tonic."

She hurried out of the room.

Kairi held out her hand, summoning her Keyblade. This weapon… it saved her.

She was so stupid… charging in like that. She lost her temper and she could've lost her life. Her Keyblade kept her safe but at a cost-

A hairline crack ran down the shaft of the blade.

She'd damaged her Keyblade.

With no way to replace it.

Or fix it.

If it broke… she couldn't keep her promise. She wouldn't be able to save Sora.

This was bad…

Her Keyblade damaged, like her heart.

She dismissed the weapon; guess she'd just have to be careful from now on. Or… maybe someone knew of a way…

"Here it is." Cat came back, followed by Alexis, Magia, and Yozora. She handed the tonic to Kairi. "Drink it slowly."

Yozora crossed his arms, and while his exterior showed no signs of worry, his gray eye shone with concern. "You ok?"

"I think so…"

"I don't know what that idiot was thinking." Magia took off his hat, running a hand through his hair.

Atlas strode in, his face red as he muttered. "Stupid kid. Thinks he's so good. Well, he needs to stop putting people in here or I'm going to stab him with a scalpel."

"Calm down, dear."

"Sorry, Catalina." The doctor looked over Kairi. "Your legs should be healed up, and the magic should've taken care of any other injuries to you. Do you feel anything off? You've been out for three hours, so your body should've had time to fix itself with the magic…"

Three hours!?

"Look, Kairi. Sorry about Aegis. He's… ok, well there's no excuse for this." Alexis sighed. "Just take it easy tonight, ok?"

"I will."

Cat smiled. "If the magic does it's job, you should be good to go in about twenty minutes, as long as you don't move your legs."

The girl nodded, waving as Atlas shooed out the others. She put on a smile, but felt her heart sink.

"_Hey girlie._"

Kairi jumped as Lucky's voice popped into her ear. Oh, the comlink. She put a hand to her ear. "Lucky, hey."

"_How are you feeling? Magia told me what happened._"

"I'm alright…"

"_That's good. Hey, don't worry about coming to pick up your uniform and ID card today. I'm coming to you. And, you're hanging out with me tonight. You've had a rough day and I'm going to make sure you're relaxed. Ok?_"

"Ok."

"_Alright! See you in a few._"

Kairi waited, letting herself drift off as she sat there, trying not to move her legs at all. Time passed slowly, giving her time to think.

How would she fix her Keyblade?

How would she save Sora?

How could they get home?

"Kairi." Her eyes popped open to see Cat and Lucky.

Cat smiled, "I think the spell worked." She gently touched Kairi's legs, applying gentle pressure. "Tell me if anything hurts." Nothing. No pain. "Alright, trying standing up, slowly." Kairi swung her legs over the side of the bed, her limbs tingling slightly after being still for so long. Her bare feet hit the floor, her legs shaking slightly, but they kept her upright. "Any pain?"

"No."

"Take a few steps." Kairi took one step, then another, walking across the room. They felt good. "Good. I think you should be good to go. Make sure to call me on the comlink if something is wrong."

"I will…"

The nurse nodded and left. Lucky smiled, holding out a paper bag. "I'm glad you're ok! I brought your uniform." She waited until Kairi took the bag. "I'll let you get changed and then I'll order dinner. Stella will be joining us too." She left, closing the door behind her.

The small room did have windows, but the blinds fell over them, allowing Kairi privacy to try on her new uniform. She liked her current outfit, but… Yozora was right how it didn't really fit. She was in the military now.

Kairi put on slim black pants and a maroon turtleneck with exposed shoulders; the skull symbol Yozora wore on his jacket sat on a pink patch right below the shoulders on the sleeves. Over the pants she put on silver knee-high boots with a pink stripe along the top. Pink and black bracers slid over her hands and wrists. And on top of the outfit she put on a sleeveless purple coat with pink accents that buttoned up in the front. To top the whole look off, she put on a purple military beret with a pink accent.

Actually, she liked the look.

Putting her new ID card in the pocket of her new coat, she folded up her old outfit and put it in the bag. She picked up her shoes and put them with the dress.

When she opened the door, Lucky gave a tiny squeal. "It's perfect! Yozora can say what he wants, but it's just so cute on you!"

"Yeah, I like it." Kairi smiled, Lucky must have thought this would be something to cheer her up. And she was right. "You did a great job."

"Thanks! Come on, let's get out of here."

The two girls headed for the door. "Kairi! Hold on." Atlas walked over, his face riddled with concern, and his eyes soft. "Take it easy today. And I would avoid Aegis if possible." He ran a hand down his face. "Aegis has put people in here before, but never like that. He's got some sort of beef with you… more so than everyone else. He has this complex that everyone thinks they're better than him and has to show them they're not. So, he's beat some people up before, but never like that. You must tick him off for some reason. So, just be careful. And I'll make sure word of this incident gets to the general. She'll deal with him."

"Thank you, doctor." Kairi bowed her head respectfully.

"Now, I don't want you in here again, especially for something so serious. Out."

The two girls hurried out of the medical bay per his orders. "The doc's a good person. He's got a temper, but he does care about others, he just doesn't show it."

"Reminds me of a scientist I know. So, you mentioned dinner."

"Yep," Lucky held up her phone, "I ordered pizza. So, let's get back to the dorms before they get there."

As the girls walked, Kairi saw people heading downstairs, probably to head home. Some went up, toward the dorms. From the elevator, Kairi could see the setting sun. This day felt so wild, so disjointed. Had she really woken up in the crystal tower this morning, only to now find herself in the military after being knocked unconscious by her own teammate?

What a day.

As the girls reached the dorms, Lucky stopped at the door covered in wrapping paper. "Grab your blanket and pillow. We'll have a little slumber party, you, me, and Stella."

"O-ok." Kairi watched the other girl step into her room before she went to her own blank door and blank room.

Setting down her paper bag, which contained the only clothes she had, the room felt twice as empty. All she had.

She closed the door and sat on the bed, staring at the bag.

"Kairi?"

She looked up to see Chirithy. The dream eater must have appeared without her noticing. "Hey."

"Are you alright? I was watching everything."

"I'm ok… just exhausted." That was a lie. "So, did you find out anything about that dream thing?"

The creature hopped onto Kairi's lap. "I did. And it's real. Being so close to the doors of death, people sometimes do communicate with the dead in their dreams. But, I don't know if it's accidental or they do it on purpose somehow. Maybe you can ask your friends."

Friends. They were more like strangers still. But Lucky and Stella seemed like nice people. Hopefully, by the end of the night, Kairi could call them friends.

"Kairi!" Lucky threw open the door. "I forgot to ask if you ha-" She blinked at the sight of Chirithy. "Whoa! What is that?"

"Darn…" The dream eater groaned.

"IT TALKS!?"

Kairi stood up, holding Chirithy. "Um, Lucky, this is Chirithy. He's a dream eater." The other girl raised an eyebrow, looking very confused and concerned. "He's a Spirit dream eater, so he basically consumes bad dreams and gets rid of them. He's my friend."

"Dream eater?" Lucky came closer. "So, he's from the Realm of Sleep?"

"Yes, but how did you know that?"

"The realm of sleep is common knowledge around here. And I've heard of people seeing creature there in their sleep, little animals. We call them Baku(6), which are actually dream eating spirits… so I guess, they're the same thing."

Chirithy tapped his chin. "Well, kinda. But there are good and bad dream eaters. Spirits consume bad dreams, and Nightmares consume good dreams."

"Interesting… I didn't think Baku could physically manifest but ok… nice to meet you, Chirithy." She let out a long breath. "So… for the reason I came here. Kairi, do you have any pajamas?"

"No…"

The girl nodded. "Thought as much. Stella has some you can borrow. I'll let her know you need them. Chirithy can join us for dinner and ice cream too! Ok, sorry, finish your conversation." She slipped out, closing the door behind her.

"Well, that was fun. At least we have an excuse if I'm seen."

Kairi breathed out a light laugh. "Guess so." She moved the bag from the bed to a small closet behind the door before folding up the top sheet and grabbing the pillow. "Lucky will probably be expecting you now."

"Yeah. But free food does sound good." Chirithy leapt up onto the pile of blankets and pillows in the girl's arms. "Let's go."

Kairi giggled and left the room, going down to the open door.

A beautiful room with mint green walls opened up before her, a bench with a pull-out shelf under it and a mattress on top. Lucky stood there, pulling out some extra mattresses from a spot behind a curtain. She must like sleepovers.

She dropped one down on the floor in front of a TV. "Oh, hey girlie! This mattress is yours."

"Kairi!" Kairi felt her legs buckle as someone slammed into her from behind. "Kairi! How are you?"

"She'd do better if you didn't tackle her, Stella."

Stella slipped around Kairi, holding a sleeping bag above her head. "Oops. Hold on, let me drop this here and grab those PJs." She tossed down the sleeping bag and bolted right back out the door.

Chirithy hopped down as Kairi laid her blanket and pillow on the mattress. Lucky sat down. "Want to help me pick a movie, Chirithy?"

"Sure."

Stella ran back in, grabbing Kairi's arm. "This way!" She dragged Kairi down the hall to a set of double doors at the end of the hall. "This is the bathroom. Sadly, we all share it, but it's just for our hall, so it's just a few of us." She handed Kairi a pile of clothing. "Here's your jammies and a disposable toothbrush I had still in it's packaging. I'll let you change and we'll see you in a minute." Off she ran, leaving Kairi to change into the pajamas covered in small white marshmallow-like creatures(7).

Kairi looked around the bathroom. It reminded her of a school locker room. A row of sinks. A row of toilet stalls. A row of showers. A row of lockers.

For a moment, she felt like she was in high school.

She walked back to hear Chirithy laughing as Stella seemed to be freaking out. Probably about the dream eater thing.

"First a freakin' wild as heck phone and now this! This is awesome!"

Kairi giggled as she walked in to see Chirithy fall backwards, laughing at Stella's dumbstruck look. Kairi sat down on her mattress, holding her pillow. "Lucky, Chirithy told me something and I had a question. How can someone talk to the dead in their dreams?"

"Oh, you heard about that? Well, it's kind of a chance. The best way to make it happen is to make sure that the last thoughts on your mind are of the person you want to speak to. But, in the end, it might happen or not."

"Oh…"

Someone knocked on the door. Stella leapt up and pulled it open. A small rabbit-like creature stood in the doorway wearing a massive bag on his back. "Pizza and ice cream, kupo!"

Kupo?

"Thanks!" Stella handed the rabbit some gil and opened up the backpack. She pulled out a pizza. The rabbit bowed and strode away.

"What was that?"

"A moogle(8)."

That didn't look like any moogle Kairi'd ever seen.

Stella set down the pizza and opened it up. "Yum!"

The four began eating, with some movie playing in the background. Kairi wasn't really paying attention.

"Hey," Stella handed Kairi a cup of soda, "you doing ok?"

"Just thinking…"

"About what happened today?"

"Yeah… Aegis. Not only did he hurt me, but he said some things. Said I was useless, weak. And that I could never save anyone… And maybe he was right; I have no confidence in myself, like he said."

Stella leaned back on her pillow. "You know, thing about Aegis, is he does this for a reason. He is the youngest person here, besides you. He feels that his has to prove he belongs. And he does this by making himself look better than everyone else. So, while he said you have no confidence, actually, he has none in himself. He feels like he has to make others look weaker or stupid so he can look better." She glanced over at Kairi. "My guess is, he was so harsh with you because he's afraid."

"Afraid?"

"Yeah," Lucky chimed in, "you were suddenly added into Yozora's squad, and got to bypass protocol. Something about you is special, and he feels threatened by that. I know the doc said to stay away from him, but I think you should stick close, show him that you mean him no harm. Unless you want to be better than him."

Kairi shook her head. "Not better than him. But… I want to be better than I am now."

"Doesn't everyone?" Chirithy added.

"Exactly. Better yourself every day. All Aegis does is try to belittle everyone every day, never make himself better. Maybe you'll teach him something."

"Maybe."

The night went on, with conversation and jokes. But Kairi couldn't focus. She barely heard anything as her mind turned over all that had happened. All that she learned.

Could she really better herself? She really did have no confidence in herself. She couldn't beat those here, so she was weak. She'd failed to save Sora in the end, so why did she think she could save him now? And with her Keyblade, the one thing that gave her any value here, broken… she was useless.

Finally, as time slipped away and the girls all went to bed. Kairi stared into the darkness, feeling it close in around her physically and mentally.

Sora…

Did he see her as weak?

Did he see her as useless?

Was he disappointed that without him, she had no confidence? All her confidence came from him. Without him…

All the more reason to try and save him, if she could.

She thought of his encouraging smile and when he held her hand as they fought Xehanort together. She tried to feel the warmth of his grasp when he'd saved her. But all that was just a memory.

A memory and not real.

Thoughts of him, longing for him pulled at her mind until she finally slipped into a deep sleep…

…

_"__Kairi? Is that you?"_

* * *

**That was… quite the chapter wasn't it?**

**I hope you enjoyed it!**

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) This is Kairi's "Starcracker" move from Re:Mind.

(2) This is Kairi's "Seven Wishes" move from Re:Mind.

(3) I've named his sword N-cypher and his crossbow, this is a reference to the word encipher.

(4) A reference to when Ansem pretended to be Ansem the Wise, and he was the one to send Kairi to the Destiny Islands.

(5) Hi-potion. 

(6) Baku are creatures from Japanese mythology that were said to devour nightmares.

(7) These are supposed to be Hiso Aliens from FF15.

(8) This is based on the Moogles from FF12.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey!**

**Again, we won't talk about that UX update… **

**To answer some questions from the reviews: 1) I'll give hints as to why Yozora's world was seen in Toy Box, but not now. 2) Subject X or anything like that won't be touched on in this story.**

**Thank you all again for your continued support!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective creators! **

* * *

**Chapter 8: Sweet Spirits**

* * *

_"__I don't think you're a failure, Kairi." _

Kairi blinked as those words rang in her mind. She thought they came from her dream last night. She'd woken up refreshed, happy… but the dream that made her so-

She couldn't remember.

The dream was special, she knew that. If only she could remember it.

"Morning." Yozora walked over, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a piece of toast in the other. "You feeling ok?"

"Better. So, what's going to happen to Aegis?"

The prince sat down, staring down at the table. "He's suspended until the general returns, then she'll deal with him. So, you won't see him much as he'll be on "patrol duty"."

"Patrol duty?"

"Rent-a-cop stuff. He'll be out doing the mundane crap no one likes to do. It'll keep him busy for a long time. But we have a mission today; you, me, and Magia. So, meet me downstairs at the entrance in an hour, ready to go."

Kairi nodded. "Alright."

He stood up, turning away. "By the way, your uniform has too much pink." With that, he strode away.

Kairi couldn't help but chuckle slightly. He was so aloof, but he cared, as much as he pretended that he didn't.

She finished up her breakfast and stopped by her room before going down to the main entrance.

_"__Kairi, are you sure you're ok?"_

That voice kept echoing in her mind, she knew it. She knew it so well. But the face wouldn't appear in her mind.

"Hey Kairi!" Magia waved; his other hand clasped a tall thermos of… probably coffee. "Ready to go?"

"Yep."

They walked out to where Hercshal stood, smiling at the three. He bowed slightly as they stepped into the same vehicle he brought Kairi over in the day before.

"Where are we going?"

"The castle." Magia downed a sip of coffee. "We're looking for information on the doors to death. If we can find a record of someone opening them before we might be able to figure out how we can go about it."

Research?

Maybe… there was some sort of book on how Kairi could repair her Keyblade.

This was great!

"How big is this library?"

"Takes up 4 floors of the tower. There are so many books!"

Hope. Yes! They'd find a way to save Sora in no time!

Kairi could be home with him soon…

_"__Please… take care of yourself. Don't worry about me."_

Kairi kept her hopes high and her smile wide as they hurried into the castle and up the elevator. It stopped on a floor full of books. As they stepped out, she looked up to see books stretching upwards four floors, connected by hanging walkways and stairs and stairs.

"Welcome!" A small girl, about two feet tall fluttered down on lacy wings. Her simple mint and white dress rested gently around her chartreuse, petite body as deep black eyes looked over the group from between willowy strands of magenta hair. "May I help you with something?"

Yozora nodded. "We're here looking for books on the doors to death."

"Of course! Crysts(1) let's get to work!" From around the room, tiny heads and butterfly wings popped up. Small fairies, dressed in clothing of the lightest fabric, rose up, fluttering around the room, scouring the books.

Kairi's mouth hung open at the sight. "What…?"

Yozora raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you seen a sylph(2) and crysts before?"

She shook her head.

"Well," Magia pointed at pink-haired one who greeted them, "that's our head librarian, Ophelia. She's a sylph. The others are her assistants, the crysts. They're good with books. If you have any questions ask them. Now, let's get searching." He scooted toward the glass staircase which wound upwards to the higher levels. Yozora followed.

She ran her hand along the books, feeling the rough covers beneath her fingertips.

Should she search for information on the door or on her Keyblade?

"Excuse me?" A small cryst with long black hair and black-spotted blue wings flew up before her. "My name is Sinclair! Is there anything specific you need?"

"Actually yes. I need some books on the doors, like Yozora said. But I'm also looking for books on the Keyblade if there are any."

Sinclair tapped her chin. "Dante!" Another cryst turned around. "Please find her some books on the door. And I'll look for the other ones myself."

The small fae went off through the shelves to search. Kairi turned back to the shelves, softly touching the spine of each book as she read the names.

La Belle et la Bête.

Den Lille Havfrue.

Cenicienta.

Snu Wayt.

Alisa v Strane Chudes.(3)

"Hello there!"

"Shh!" The crysts all turned on the newcomer, Phinehas.

He flinched. "Sorry…"

Hoshiko walked in behind him, smiling as she saw Kairi. "Oh, hello there. How was your first day?"

Kairi winced. Should she tell them about Aegis?

"Aegis nearly killed her."

Nevermind, Yozora would tell them for her.

"What!?" Phineas yelped. "Why woul-"

"SHHHHHH!"

"Sorry…"

"I don't know why." Kairi sighed, shuddering slightly from the memories. "He was just… so angry. Dr. Atlas said I must make him mad or something. But yeah, he hurt me pretty bad and he's suspended now."

Hoshiko shook her head. "That boy… He can be so foolish sometimes. I hope he learns his lesson and straightens out. But, enough about that. What brings you here?"

"We're looking for information on the doors to death. And I was hoping to find some books on Keyblades as well… Honestly, I don't know much about the blades, even though I have one."

It wasn't a lie.

Phinehas tapped his chin. "Well, I might be able to help some. We have a friend across the pond in Britannia(4) who should be returning soon, and I know some people in Colombia(5) who might have some other research on both topics. I can ask them."

"That would be great."

Hoshiko smiled. "Why don't we help you research today too? There probably are many books to look through."

"Thanks."

Kairi sat down at a table with Hoshiko on one side of her and Phinehas on the other. The crysts, led by the one called Dante, began to place books before them, and despite their small size, the fae could carry two books each.

Sinclair eventually came back too, with a book on magical weapons.

Perfect.

"Kairi, what's your connection to Sora?"

What?

Did…

Did Hoshiko just ask that!?

"What?"

Phinehas laughed. "Did you think we were that clueless? Yozora hasn't shut up about Sora for a year, then you show up and he insists that we bring you into the military right away. Yozora doesn't do that for strangers, ever. So, we figured you had something to do with this Sora guy."

"You're right." Kairi admitted. "The only reason I came here was to find him… but to do so I need to open the door. So, I'll help him. And, I'll help you."

Hoshiko cocked her head to the side, studying the girl. "Tell me, I know I talked a lot the night you stayed in my home, but I heard little about you. Please tell us about you and this Sora person Yozora has mentioned."

"And don't worry, we won't tell the king. He'll never know."

Kairi, as she turned pages, thought. She could tell them, but how without mentioning other worlds…

"Well…"

And so she told them.

Told them of her life on the islands, how she washed up on the beach. Told them of Riku and Sora. Their lives. Their adventures. Their friendship.

She told them of when the island succumbed to creatures of darkness, sending the three of them in separate ways, and her heart into Sora's.

She told them all she could of Sora's journey, and how Riku fell. How Sora sacrificed himself (though she had to pause and sob then) and how she saved him. Then how Sora defeated Ansem.

When she mentioned how she forgot about Sora, she could see the pain in Hoshiko's eyes.

How Axel kidnapped her and then she escaped with the help of Naminé and Riku. How she got a Keyblade and worked to stop Xemnas… and how Riku and Sora finally came home.

Only for them to leave again to take their exam. She followed, the beginning of her training with Axel. The time the two spent together, training, laughing.

Then how it all came apart.

Sharing the Paopu with Sora- binding their hearts together.

Only for the battle to split them apart. As hard as she fought, even saving Sora from death, it ended the same…

Xemnas taking her.

The three darknesses beating her to the ground.

A searing pain across her back.

And nothing.

Then light. Sora's light as she fell into his arms. His warm, loving arms.

She'd known something was wrong, even as they fought Xehanort together, sent Chirithy home, restored Naminé's heart.

She knew…

And then they went home.

Only for him, to disappear.

…

Yozora and Magia, who came over with their books, the two ministers, the crysts, and the sylph all sat, listening. Enraptured by the story.

"And now I'm here… looking for Sora."

"Wow."

The only word anyone could say. At a loss with this situation. At a loss at what to say or do to ease the pain this princess held in her heart.

"Miss Hoshiko," Kairi stood up, walking to put a book back on the shelf, "you mentioned how you can talk to those beyond the door in a dream. I want to do that… and part of me wonders if last night, the dream I had- the wonderful dream I can't remember, was me seeing him."

_"__Kairi, remember, wherever you are, I'm always with you."_

"I wish I could remember…"

"Kairi…"

She turned, hearing her name spoken so softly by Yozora. She didn't know his voice could be soft. But there he was, staring at her. His silver eye full of pain, and his red one shuddering; for just a moment, that red eye seemed to turn silver, mirroring the same expression in his always-silver eye.

"It's ok. There's hope. We can open the door! We can bring him back and help your world at the same time." She couldn't do much, but she could at least try. "There's hope."

The crysts all sniffled, dabbing their small eyes with their shirts.

Hoshiko smiled, her eyes watery. "I believe you saw him in your dreams, and will. You have a lot of hope. More than we do. Maybe, you'll give us that hope."

She couldn't give them hope. Hoshiko's daughter would never come back, nor their memories of h-

"AH!" Something slammed into Kairi from behind, knocking the books from her hand.

She heard squeaking as Magia yelped. "THE HECK IS THAT!?"

Boing. Boing. Something bounced in front of Kairi.

She saw round little creature that looked… kind of like a cat, but also kind of like a dog, with a little pink horn on its head. It's little blue and white body jiggled as it's black and pink tail wagged. The little eyes with cross-shaped pupils opened and closed as it jumped happily. On its chest she saw… that was the dream eater sigil!

"A dream eater?" Kairi sat up, only for the squishing thing to jump onto her, licking her face with its tiny tongue as it squeaked. Kairi couldn't help but laugh as it knocked her on her back with its licking and bouncing.

"Hey!" The dream eater looked up at Chirithy's voice. The cat-like dream eater stood behind Kairi, paws on his hips. "What are you doing here?"

The princess managed to sit up, her arms still around the balloon-like animal. "Chirithy, what is this little guy doing here?"

"No idea."

"What is going on!?" Everyone stared, mouths agape, at Kairi and the colorful creatures.

Kairi laughed as the squishy dream eater squeaked again. "Well, these are dream eaters. Or… oh what did Lucky call them… Baku."

"Baku!" Ophelia leapt over, studying the creatures. "But, I didn't think Baku could manifest physically."

Chirithy crossed his arms. "Well, normally I can. I don't know why this meow wow did."

The meow wow wiggled out of Kairi's arms and waddled past her, back in the direction he came from.

"You're full of surprises." Phinehas tapped his chin. "A Keyblade wielder. And you have Baku all around you. That's wild! Any other secrets you want to share and blow our minds with!?"

"Well, technically I hold the title of 'Princess' though I'm not a real princess."

"I WAS JOKING!" The minister clutched at his hair as if all this new info was making him go crazy.

"Shh!"

The meow wow waddled back over to Kairi, something small clutched in its mouth. It dropped the object in her hands.

A metal flower with seven petals, formed into a bud. As it touched Kairi's hands, the petals spread out, opening the flower to reveal a shining red gem in the middle(6).

A gem which bore a very familiar crown symbol.

"Sora…?" Emanating from the gem, Kairi could feel the warmth and kindness of her dear friend. The meow wow laid his head on the flower, glowing red with it.

_"__If you ever feel lonely, or need my help, just call for me. Here… this will help you."_

She looked up at the dream eater. "Sora sent you?" The meow wow nodded. "To help me?" Another nod. Her face lit up as she gazed upon the flower again. Gently closing it, she patted the meow wow.

"Sora sent that? But how?"

"Her dream." Hoshiko whispered. "Kairi, you said you thought that you might have spoken to Sora? What if you did, and he gave that to you?"

"I think that's what happened. He told me about how he traveled through the dream worlds and made friends with the dream eaters. You must be his friend." The meow wow squeaked, its eyes closing happily as Kairi scratched it behind the ear. "I'd try and guess your name, but I know what it is. Sora always wanted a cat, and he said if he ever got one, he'd name it Bubbles." It squeaked again. "Thought so, Bubbles."

Bubbles bounced, squeaking as it glowed red, fading from sight as small motes of light floated back to the gem.

"You and Sora have a special connection."

"Yes…" She stood up, putting the small object in her pocket. "Now, if only I could remember that dream. I want to thank him."

Chirithy bounced in front of Kairi. "Oh yeah! I had an idea about that! I'll tell you tonight! Ok?"

"Sure! I'll be waiting!" She smiled as Chirithy poofed out of existence.

"What's going on in here?" All eyes turned to the door as King Hayate came in, a few books in his arms.

The crysts all flooded around him squeaking. "Baku! Baku! Baku! Kairi summoned Baku!"

"Crysts!" Ophelia clapped her hands. "Back to work please." The small fae scattered around the library. "My king."

Phinehas giddily chirped. "Kairi can summon Baku! Real Baku! She's also a princess! And man has she been on some wild adventures."

"Calm down, Phinehas." The king worked to withhold a smirk. "Is this true."

Kairi nodded. "Well, yes sir. And on the princess thing, I'm not a real princess. I just have that title. I have a heart of pure light-" Another squeal of delight from Phinehas "- and people like me are called Princesses of Heart. So, I have no castle or crown. I just have that title."

Yozora stared at her, his red eye studying her closely. His silver one looked calm, but the red one seemed to almost be probing her. "This is very interesting information."

"Indeed." The king had a thoughtful glint in his eye. "So, I am wondering, what are you three doing here?"

"We came to find information on the door." Magia said.

"Ah, I was doing some reading on that myself." He held up a book. "We will need to search diligently."

Phinehas nodded. "I agree. So, why don't we get back to it? I'll go up to the lounge and get us all some coffee, so we can stay awake." He sauntered out of the room looking giddy as a schoolboy.

How was he one of the country's rulers again?

* * *

"Thank you, Hercshal." Kairi stepped out of the car, back at base. The older man simply nodded.

He drove the car away, showing the other side of the street.

Where Aegis stood.

The young man crossed the street at a brisk pace, his gaze fixed on the building behind Kairi.

_"__You can't hold onto anger. You have to-"_

"Aegis!" Kairi caught his arm.

His gaze traveled down, looking both annoyed and confused. "What?"

"Well, I… I just wanted to say that I forgive you. For yesterday."

Aegis paused, raising an eyebrow. "You what?"

"I forgive you."

His head cocked to the side for a moment, face riddled with confusion. "Why would you? I- Never mind. Whatever…" Aegis stormed off, almost looking embarrassed.

"That was awesome!" Magia cheered. "You actually made him speechless! Kairi, no one has ever made Aegis speechless. And to top it off, that was an amazing gesture."

"My mother and father taught me to forgive others even when it was hard."

Magia smiled. "They sound like good parents. Don't you think so Yozora?"

Kairi glanced over at the prince, nearly jumping at his eyes. The red one seemed ringed in silver and his face seemed relaxed. "Yeah. That took guts." His voice sounded lighter. "I don't know if I co-" His eyes turned red again, his hand shooting up to grasp at his head.

"Are you ok!?" Kairi rushed to him as he straightened up, looking down at her. Rigid face and red eye. "While your gesture might have made you feel better, it was stupid."

With those words, he strode into the building.

"Wow, that was wild." The mage rubbed the back of his head. "I haven't seen his old self break through like that in a long time."

The girl stared after the prince. "His old self. I was told he merged with the evil that came through the door."

"Yep. Some guy who invented the AI that made the giags. All we know was that his name was Frode and that he had silver hair and red eyes. Well, and that he was stiff, emotionless, and liked dark edgy clothes. The old Yozora was never like that- can't remember exactly what he was like, but it wasn't like that. We all wish he was back to his old self, but I don't know if that will ever happen." His cheerful gaze held a deep sorrow. "We wish things could go back to how they used to be. But now, nothing is like it was before. And it will never go back." He let out a long huff, releasing the tension in his voice. "So, what are you planning to do tonight? Going with Stella and Cat?"

"Yeah."

"Kairi!" Stella waved as she barreled down the sidewalk toward her! "Hurry! You're already here! I was about to message you. We've got a cab. Oh hi Maggie, we're stealing her."

Kairi could barely move before the communications specialist grabbed her by the arm, dragging her down the sidewalk. "Stella!?"

"We've got things to do!"

Cat giggled as the two girls came nearer. The nurse looked a little strange without her lab coat. "Ready to go?"

Kairi took a moment as they stopped to straighten her beret. "Y-yeah." The three climbed into the yellow cab and rode on. "So, what's the plan?"

"We're going to the 104." Cat pulled out her phone, glancing at it. "There's a ramen shop we like there, and then we'll do some shopping."

Kairi stared out the window as the city rolled by. "I was wondering, why didn't I see crysts and sylphs in the city when I was walking around?"

"Most of them live outside the city," Stella leaned back, closing her eyes, "there are more trees out there. And it doesn't help that Japan doesn't really do much with magic. Our country runs on technology and uses limited magic. Fae like crysts and sylphs tend to favor more magical countries."

"Oh."

The cab stopped in front of the very mall Kairi had ran into on her first day. She'd wandered through the mall but didn't really look around.

"Food court's on the fourth floor!"

The three took escalators, wedged between crowds of shoppers. "Kairi, I forgot to ask," Cat spoke, "do you like ramen?"

"I do."

As they stepped off the elevator, Kairi could smell the food, wafting toward them. Stella grabbed her arm. "Over there!" She pointed to a small place called Ramen Don(7).

The three ordered bowls of ramen and sat down.

"So, you met the crysts?" Stella asked.

"At the tower library."

The blonde slurped up a noodle. "Oh yeah, I heard you guys were going over there."

"Girls, would you like dessert?"

"Yeah!"

Cat got up, going over a small café called Wild Kat. Stella leaned forward, her face serious. "Word on the street is you're trying to open up the door."

"Huh!?"

"So you can lock it forever. Aaaaand," she glanced slyly at Kairi, "rescue that Sora guy, but that part is supposed to be hush-hush."

The princess blinked. "How did you-?"

"I have my ways. And it's actually my job; I work with my boyfriend, the lead intelligence officer. We keep tabs on internal affairs, making sure no one is going to get people hurt. Opening the door falls into that category, but since the prince in involved, I thought I'd ask you for the details."

Kairi winced, looking away from the other girl. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I plan to save Sora and permanently lock the door. Maybe I can save Minister Hoshiko's daughter too."

"I see." The other girl smiled. "Well, we will keep that in mind, and I'll tell him not to report you to the general. Yet. Just remember, if we feel what you're doing is dangerous to everyone, we will report you three."

"Ok." Kairi gulped. The last thing she wanted was to get in trouble.

Cat returned with three cups. "Ice cream. I won't tell the general or my husband if you don't."

"We won't!"

As they ate, Stella asked, "So, you know that Sora guy right? The one Yozora is obsessed with." Now she was playing dumb.

"Yeah, I do."

Cat nodded. "I had that feeling too. Yozora never stopped talking about that Sora person, then he suddenly brings you into the military. Something was up. So, how do you know him?"

Kairi bit her lip. Again with the talking around situations.

"He… he's someone very special to me. He's been my friend since I was a little girl, and recently, he died to save me. Now, I'm trying to save him. I met him after I lost my memories." She glanced over at the nurse. "It's not like my amnesia is really a secret. My first home, Radiant Garden, was destroyed and I ended up on the island where I grew up. No memory of the past. Some things fell into place later on, but I don't remember my parents, or almost anything about my life in Radiant Garden. I'm ok now, and Sora is part of the reason why. He was always there. He always had a smile on his face and new how to put one on mine. He was kind, funny, heroic, and always put others before himself."

"You loved him." Cat smiled. "I can see it in your eyes."

"Yes."

"And you're here to rescue him."

"Yes."

Stella put a hand to her heart. "This sounds like a romance novel in the making, and I'm all for it. I hope you can rescue him, and everything turn out alright." Translation: don't destroy our world in the process.

"As do I." Cat stood up. "Well, we better get going. We want to be done before the mall closes, and I'm sure Sora wouldn't want you to focus on your grief. We're here to help you if you need us."

"And we'll start by getting you all the clothes you need! Our treat."

"Oh you don't have to-"

Stella hooked arms with Kairi. "Ah! No! We are paying and you can do nothing about it. Now, off to D&B!"

* * *

_"__Kairi, I want you to be happy. Don't focus on the negative. I believe in you, and I want you to be happy and believe in yourself." _

* * *

"Thank you again."

"No problem, Kairi! Goodnight!"

Kairi shut the door to her room, glancing back at the mountains of shopping bags. Shoes. Casual clothes. Workout wear. PJs. A swimsuit. Even a formal dress.

They spoiled her. Now she had almost everything she needed to move right in… not to mention the bedding Cat got her after Stella insisted that they paint Kairi's room on Saturday.

"Did you have fun?" Chirithy popped up as Kairi changed into her new pajamas; a pale green thigh-length dress with frilly sleeves. The bottom of the skirt bore the image of happy little yellow birds(8).

"I did." She sat on the bed, running a brush through her hair. "Hey, today you said you had an idea about the dreams."

"Yep! People can't seem to remember dreams they had from beyond the door, but they don't have me. Maybe if I help guide you through those dreams, you can remember them."

Kairi smiled. "We could try it. Sora will get a visit every night."

"I don't know if that's the best idea." Chirithy piped. "Say you learn something big but can't remember. Maybe we can practice on other people beyond the door. People you knew, like your grandmother."

"Yeah. Let's give it a try."

Kairi pushed herself under the covers, turning off the light as she stared at the ceiling. "It might take some time, but I'm coming, Sora."

* * *

**Alright! We're getting into it. Once Kairi's first week there is done… things will really kick in.**

**Hope you liked it!**

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) Crysts are basically cryst-fairies from the Bravely Default series.

(2) Sylphs are fairies based on the summon from the FF series. The appearance of this sylph is a combination of the FF4 one (which had very yellowy skin), the FF5 version (which had pink hair), and the World of Final Fantasy version (the outfit).

(3) Pop these words in a translator if you want to know what the stories are.

(4) Britannia is the UK and France.

(5) Colombia is the USA and Canada.

(6) It's a heart binder like what Sora had in KH3 for summons.

(7) This is the name of a ramen place in "The World Ends With You". ALL the stores in 104 came from that game, and the cafés and other ramen shops you will see came from that game.

(8) These are chocobos. 

* * *

_VAs: _

_Ophelia- Erika Harlacher (Kyrie Canaan, Violet Evergarden, Ann Takamaki, Shinobu Kocho)_

_Sinclair- Ryan Bartley (Makomo, Ram, Gilda, Rei Ayanami, Nina, Chomusuke, Yuna, Komugi)_


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story! I'm having a ball writing it! Thank you all for your support!**

**This chapter will focus less on Kairi, but next chapter I'll throw you right back into her world.**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Under the Setting Sun**

* * *

"Good!" Alexis leapt back, holding a wooden training axe.

Kairi threw the wooden sword at Alexis, teleporting to it as she unleashed a flurry of strikes. "Thanks!" Leaping back, Kairi blocked a strike from her opponent.

"Where'd you learn to throw a weapon like that?" Alexis blocked as Kairi unleashed another flurry of attacks, culminating in a spinning strike.

"My friend, Axel. He taught me." The princess slid to dodge a strike from her trainer. "He uses a Keyblade and chakrams."

"Wow, quite the combination." Kairi blocked a blast of ice magic. Her other trainer, Zoraida, stood back, waiting for any moment to add magic to Kairi's things to worry about.

Slipping past Alexis, Kairi charged the cleric. Leaping into the air before casting Thunder.

Zoraida fled, running along the edges of the training room to dodge the spells before firing back with a Fire spell.

Kairi dodged, blocking another attack as Alexis closed in.

DADADADA-DA-DA-DADADA(1)

"There's the alarm." Alexis lowered her weapon, grabbing a water bottle from a nearby bench. "Good job, Kairi."

"Thank you." Kairi downed an energy drink she'd taken a liking to, Red Viper(2).

Zoraida laughed. "Well I'm glad you're doing alright, Kairi. I was worried about you, but you seem to be doing well."

"Well," Kairi bit her lip, "I did almost get killed by Aegis. But we're just not going to talk about that."

"Heard about that too, and how the general already knows. She's on a trip and will be back next week. Word on the grapevine is that she is, and I quote, 'beyond livid'."

Alexis nodded. "I heard that from Stella. I also heard that you had a good shopping trip the night before last."

"I did." Kairi smiled. "It was fun. And I'm going to the girl's night tonight too."

"Good!"

Kairi took another swig before standing up. "I'm going to shower and head out."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm meeting the boys at the library again. See you girls later!"

"Bye Kairi!"

"See you tonight!"

Kairi jogged up from the training rooms to the skybridge; she stared into the blue sky, smiling.

Today was going to be a good day.

* * *

Riku took in a deep breath as he stepped out of the gummi ship, feeling the warm sun of Twilight Town on his face. They'd landed out near the mansion, away from prying eyes.

"Hey!" Hayner waved from the mansion gates. "Guys! They're here!"

Olette, Pence, Roxas, and Xion came running over, followed at a slower pace by Lea and Isa.

"Hey."

"Hello everyone." Namine smiled as she stepped out.

Olette ran over. "Girl, we've missed you! It's been tough with Xi and I outnumber by all these boys."

"Since when!?"

"Hush Hayner."

Mickey laughed as he, Donald, and Goofy stepped out. "You all seem in high spirits."

"Since we heard you guys had a lead on Sora, things have seemed a little brighter." Roxas smiled. "We've been worried."

Lea waved them over. "Come on inside, we can talk some more."

The outside of the mansion seemed the same as always, but as soon as they stepped inside, they saw a different sight. Everything looked clean, and some plastic covered some doors, like the entrance to a construction site.

"Wow!" Goofy gushed. "It looks very nice in here."

"You can thank Isa for that." Xion smiled. "He's been fixing the place up while Lea's at work and the rest of us are at school."

Pence nodded. "He rewired the whole house, cleaned it, repainted it, and he's working on individual rooms now. I think he's working on the dining hall right now."

"You would not believe the number of spiders in this place." Isa groaned. "I should get a part time job as an exterminator at this rate. But at least I'm not lonely."

"Huh?"

Isa whistled.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Down the stairs bolted a merle border collie. The dog ran up to Isa, sitting, staring up at him, tongue out. "This is Kosho(3). I got him a few months ago. I've been watching the computer. One of us is always on computer duty."

"Ienzo even gave us a tablet so we can watch the computer from anywhere in the mansion." Lea plopped onto a couch. "One of us is always here. Isa stays here and works on the house until the kids get home from school. Then they watch the computer while doing their homework. When I get home, I make dinner and watch while the kids go do odd jobs in town."

Mickey nodded. "You guys are on top of it."

"We try."

Pence picked up what looked like a larger, thinner gummi phone. "We changed our focus after we got the news. We're still trying to locate Sora's position, but not for the same reason."

Hayner crossed his arms. "Thing is, Kairi might be able to find him, but how are they going to get back?"

"While we can't get to Sora ourselves," Roxas stared at the floor, "we want to help them in any way we can. We think we can open up a path home for them using the datascape."

Riku smiled sadly. He could see the pain in all their faces. They wished to help.

"Sora did so much to try and bring me back… and now, I just feel so useless. I can't do anything to help him."

"Roxas..." Xion laid her hand on his arm.

Isa stood up. "Riku, since you got them over there, we were thinking you could help get them back. Mind coming down to the lab with us for a bit?"

"No." He left with Isa and Pence. The others stayed behind; just as Riku passed into the study, he glanced back and saw Roxas bury his face in his hands, shoulders shaking.

"Emotion still feels new to them," Isa whispered, "we've done our best to make sure Roxas and Xion make it through, but they feel helpless. They were a part of Sora, and now they can't do much to help."

Pence nodded. "Not to mention all the other new stresses on top of things. School. People. Work. Seifer harassing Roxas isn't helping either."

"Seifer's been harassing Roxas?"

"Seifer doesn't like anyone taking his spot. He and the others came back to find that our gang had kinda taken over keeping peace in town, which was his job before. And since Roxas kinda led the charge, Seifer targeted him. I think deep down he respects Roxas, but then also sees him as a rival; Seifer's not a bad guy, just intense."

"And then there's Xion." Isa sighed. "School has been difficult for her. Roxas had some experience mentally with normal life in the datascape, but Xion didn't. Even though it's been a year, it's been the toughest year for her. Thankfully, Olette has her back. It's nice for her to have another girl around. And I think worrying about Sora just put them both on edge and that made everything tougher."

Riku couldn't think of anything to say as they walked down into the labs and into the large white room with the flower-like pod.

"We've rewired this thing to suit our purposes." Isa opened the pod. "Hop in. We'll run the program and then let the computer do its thing. Our scan shouldn't take more than five minutes."

Jumping in Riku waited as the petals closed up.

He closed his eyes. He didn't like just sitting and doing nothing, so maybe thinking of that dream of his would help the program somehow. The machinery began to hum as he relived the dream in his mind.

Hopefully, this would help.

* * *

"When Riku is done, let's hit up the town." Olette smiled. "Our homework is done and Xion doesn't have practice till tonight."

"What are you practicing for?" Goofy asked.

Xion's face turned red. "Oh it's just something for school. I ended up joining the drama club on a whim. We're doing a play called "High School Musical"(4). I'm playing a character named Gabriella."

"Good to see you're settling in." Jiminy took off his hat. "What about you, Roxas? Doing any extracurricular activities?"

"Nah. I mostly just hang out with Hayner and Pence after school. Xion's in the play and Olette has softball(4) practice."

"And guess who is probably getting more scholarships than you three one day… us girls."

"Whatever."

Naminé giggled. "Oh, Axel. Did you tell them about your new job?"

"Nope." The pyro leaned back on the couch. "They didn't ask."

Mickey smiled. "So, what is your new job?"

"Well, you know how Mr. McDuck has that cinema. He has a business partner who's been making the cartoons and is actually making more. They've started up a studio here. You may not know this, but I'm actually a decent artist, so I applied for a job. I'm a storyboard artist now for Drake Animation Studio."

Donald cocked his head to the side. "Drake?"

Hayner nodded. "Yeah, the studio is run by a guy named Ludwig Von Drake(5)."

"Uncle Ludwig!?" Donald sputtered. "Both of my uncles work here now!?"

"He's your uncle?" Axel blinked. "Are he and Scrooge brothers?"

Goofy shook his head. "Nope."

"Uncle Scrooge is my uncle on my mother's side. Uncle Ludwig is my uncle on my father's."

"Huh. I'll tell my boss I know you then."

Riku and Pence walked back inside. "Computer is running. Um, your majesty, Isa wants to see if anything you've learned can help."

"We'll be right down."

"And we'll be heading into town." Olette jumped up. "Come on guys! We need to try out the new café."

Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Lea went down to the lab while the group of teens went out into the town.

"This way!" Hayner walked over to a heavy metal door in the wall. He pushed it up. "They added this door for hauling things in and out of the town. It's easier to get in and out without going through the sewers." He held up the shutter as they all passed through before lowering it back down.

People walked past them on the streets, happily chattering. As they entered Station Heights Riku took in the warm smell coming from the bistro. Savory and warm smells mixed with the sweet smell of pastries and coffee.

Beside the bistro, a newer building, one with a pale green exterior and flowery canopy held shelves full of breads, pastries, cookies, and cakes. Dulcie's Kitchen.

"That the new café?"

"Yep!" Pence smiled. "They're opening up applications for part time positions. Maybe we can get a job there. Apparently, the owner is really something. Mr. McDuck has a talent for finding people from all over, probably from other worlds."

Xion pushed open the door to the café. A small flower-shaped bell chimed as it swung open.

"Welcome to Dulcie's Kitchen!"

A fairy about three inches tall with curly brown hair, dressed in a blue and yellow dress, flew up in front of them; a petal-like apron hung around her waist, covered in what looked like cocoa powder.

"A fairy?"

"My name's Dulcie(6)! Welcome! How may I help you?"

Pence gasped. "A fairy! You're the new owner?"

The little fairy giggled. "That's right! Mr. McDuck hired me and brought me here. This place is very different from Pixie Hollow, and not to mention all the work it took to make sure I could actually run a business from here. I mean, I couldn't even speak the language. Thankfully, a wizard named Merlin fixed that with some magic of his. So, what can I get you?"

Roxas, Xion, and Naminé eyed all the treats with wide eyes. Riku laughed. "Get whatever you want, all of you. My treat."

"Really!?"

"Yeah." The boy looked at the fairy. "What would you recommend?"

"My specialty is Poppy Puffs!" She flew over to a tray of large cream puffs, speckled with poppy seeds. "They also taste great with some lemon cream on top!"

"That sounds great!"

"Let's get that!"

Riku nodded. "A dozen of those and some of the cream. And-" he glanced up at the menu, "seven sea-salt milkshakes."

"Coming right up! Take a seat outside and I'll have them brought out when ready!"

Riku paid the fairy, watching as some human workers began making the milkshakes before he stepped out. "You know, part of me wonders how well the world order is going to hold up over time. Just Scrooge being here practically breaks it."

"Oh yeah," Xion nodded, "I get the feeling he doesn't really care about the order."

"He just wants to make money."

"True."

A server brought out the sweets and they all began eating. "So, everything going well Roxas, Xion? Like with school."

"School's fine." Roxas took a sip of his milkshake. "Kind of boring, but what can you do. We've been working on keeping the town safe after school, but then we clash with Seifer who thinks it's his gang's job to keep town safe. We tried to work together, but he declared me his rival and says it's his mission to be stronger than me, or something like that."

Xion giggled. "Seifer's just intense, that's all. Fuu is pretty nice to me. We have pre-calculus together, so we work on homework together sometimes, if Rai doesn't interrupt us. Or if I'm a-" She froze, her smile dropping. "Oh great… it's them."

"Who?"

"The 'Lucky Ladies'."

Riku turned to see four girls strutting toward them, all decked out in perfectly pressed clothing. Not a hair out of place. Not a stray spot of makeup.

"Ugh." Hayner shoved a cream puff in his mouth. "Those are our resident mean girls. The girl with brown hair and the orange and red hair band is Lani, captain of the tennis team. Blondie is Leblanc, drama club president. The girl with black hair is Dona, straight-A student and student body preside. And the girl with silver hair is cheer-team captain, and queen bee, Yunalesca(7)."

Pence rolled his eyes. "No one likes them, and they really get on our nerves… Aaaaaand they're coming our way."

"Hello boys." Yunalesca waved as she came closer, taking a sip of what looked to be cherry soda as she glanced toward Olette and Xion. "Oh. The worms are here."

"Nice to see you too, Les."

Leblanc leaned on the table, looking over at Hayner, Pence, and Roxas. "When are you three going to ditch the dead weight and get really lucky?"

"We're already lucky, to have avoided being associated with you."

"Aw, that hurts, Pence." Dona batted her eyes. "Now, tell us, who is your very attractive friend?"

Lani leaned against the table, looking down at Riku. "Yeah, what's your name, hot stuff?"

Well, none of the others expected to see the "deer in headlights" look on the face of RIKU of all people. But there it was.

"Huh…?"

Yunalesca giggled. "Oh, you've got some muscle, sir. Please, introduce yourself."

Riku averted his eyes. "Um. Uh…"

"Excuse me." The small voice finally broke the awkwardness. Naminé seemed nervous, but she continued on. "Could you please leave us alone. You're making everyone uncomfortable."

The four girls turned their attention toward her, looking a little surprised at the soft-spoken girl who _dared_ to tell them to leave. "And you are?"

"Naminé."

"Nami's right." Roxas huffed. "Leave us alone."

Yunalesca walked up to Naminé. "You're very polite and seem super sweet. And you're so cute; light blonde hair, blue eyes, and that cute white dress. But…" She glanced back at the other girls. "I think her look could use a splash of color. Don't you?"

"Yeah."

"I agree, Les."

"Just a splash."

"Hm," the queen bee tapped her chin thoughtfully, "maybe some blue or some pink. Oh! I know! How about some red!"

With a flick of her wrist, Yunalesca poured the remainder of her cherry soda down Naminé's white dress, causing the blonde girl to let out a scream as the cold liquid ran down her legs and stained her dress.

"Nami!"

The four girls didn't even wait for a response, turning and strutting away. Riku jumped up as Naminé began to cry. "I didn't do anything! I just asked them to leave…" He took off his jacket, draping it over her shoulders.

"They're horrible people." Olette put an arm around the sobbing girl. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." The two girls shuffled off, Naminé's sobbing fading away.

"What is their problem?" Riku snarled, glancing in the direction the Lucky Ladies went in.

"They're bullies. Rich. Pretty. Popular. And they want everyone to know it. The whole reason they call themselves the 'Lucky Ladies' is because they say any guys would be lucky to date them. They're not happy that the three of us don't fall for their wicked wiles. And they hate that Olette and Xion are friends with us."

Xion nodded. "The first day of school they dumped my bag in the school fountain."

"They flirted with me on the first day too," Roxas couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh, "thing was, I was clueless and didn't even know what flirting was."

Riku couldn't help but laugh a little. "Really?"

"Dude," Pence nodded, "class hadn't even started, and she came in and sat on Roxas' desk, seriously flirting with him, and Roxas was totally clueless. Then Xion showed up… And then Xion swiped the lead role from Leblanc."

"Basically, they hate me." Xion shrugged. "And I REALLY don't like them."

Riku crossed his arms. "And now they've gone and upset Naminé."

"What's going on here?" Seifer, Rai, and Fuu approached. "I saw Olette with that blonde girl you guys were hanging out with for a while. What happened?"

Roxas groaned. "Someone purposely dumped their drink on her. I'll give you four guesses."

The older boy growled. "I'll set those four straight soon." He glanced at Roxas. "Hey, Rucksack, after school tomorrow, meet me at the sandlot, I want to fight you again."

"Fine, whatever."

Fuu walked over to Xion. "Practice time."

"Already?" She sighed. "Ok, gotta go guys." The two girls vanished into the crowd of people gathering as the day went on around the bistro.

Rai looked over at Pence. "We hardly see you out, ya know!"

"Sorry, I've been busy."

"Looking for Sora?"

"Huh!?"

"How did you know that?"

"Please," Seifer huffed, "it's all you ever talk about. And you, you're a friend of Sora's right?" He looked straight at Riku.

"Yes."

"Tell Sora that he needs to be back for the Struggle tournament this year. Chicken Wuss stole his title."

Roxas snarled. "Seriously! Stop calling me 'chicken wuss' and 'rucksack'! And I won that title fair and square!"

"I'll do it when you've earned it. After school, tomorrow. Don't be late."

"Whatever, Seifer."

"Don't forget," Hayner called as Rai and Seifer walked off, "we have a history test tomorrow!"

"We know!"

Riku smirked. "You guys seem to be getting along slightly."

Roxas shrugged. "If I can get along with you, I can get along with him."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Let's see, you kept Xion from Axel and I, and then you attacked me."

"Well you _did_ nearly break my wrist."

"In self-defense."

"You were going to get yourself killed if I didn't confront you."

"Well you…"

The two continued to bicker, Hayner and Pence watching, snickering the whole time. "Pence, should we go get some popcorn for this?"

"I think so."

* * *

"Oh my gosh! Kairi! You look so cute!"

Kairi giggled, twirling as her pink and black coat(8) flared out around her. "Thanks! Cat bought it for me!"

"It suits you." Alexis smiled, not wearing her vest, allowing Kairi to see the two angel wings tattooed to her back.

The other girls wore nicer outfits than their uniforms. Colorful sweaters with soft scarves. Cute dresses covered in bright patterns.

All ready for a night on the town.

Lucky pumped her fist in the air. "Let's go!" As they walked down, Kairi smiled. "Hey, you look happy." Lucky smiled back. "Ever since I met you, you had this sadness in your eyes, but you seem genuinely happy."

"I agree."

Kairi cocked her head to the side. "Really?"

"Yeah. You've been stressed; maybe you need this. Something to distract you and give you something to smile about."

"You know," Kairi stared up at the setting sun, "I think you're right."

* * *

"There you are, ladies." Riku, having gotten tired of arguing with Roxas, went to find Olette and Naminé.

"Hey!"

Naminé waved at him, wearing a brand-new dress: a sleeveless patchwork dress of white, pale blue, and yellow patches; and, Olette must have done her hair, pulling it up into twin buns on either side of her head. She also had some loose, cloth off-white boots. "Hello."

"New dress?"

"I thought it would be best, since that red crap wasn't coming out of her white dress. What do you think?"

Riku nodded. "Looks nice. But, what if you added something darker to make the lighter colors stand out?"

"Since when were you a fashion expert?"

"I'm not. My dad just taught me how to use dark colors to contrast lighter ones… except he uses it to make plates of food look good. But the concept works for clothing… I think."

His face turned red as the two girls let out a burst of laughter.

Naminé recovered first. "Well, you are correct. Since you know so much about color, want to help pick out that darker element?"

"Sure."

Shopping was not his favorite thing, but he was very happy to help his friend. And it didn't take that long. In a shop window, he saw a mulberry top with a petal-like collar. "What about that with some darker leggings."

"You do have an eye! Let's go, Nami!" The girls jumped inside and came out a few minutes later.

Riku was right. The mulberry shirt under the dress stood out, and the translucent black leggings added to that. Riku smiled. "Nice."

"Oh yeah it is!" The three walked back toward the mansion.

"Hey," Naminé walked up beside Riku, "thank you for the help."

"You're welcome."

The blonde glanced up at him. "You know, you seem happier today. You've been so down lately."

"I look happier?"

"Yeah." She giggled. "You know, maybe all you needed something to distract you and give you something to smile about."

"Maybe you're right."

"I'm right and you know it." The two let out a soft laugh as they continued to walk.

* * *

"So, where are we going?" Kairi glanced up at Cat who sat in the front seat of the cab, in which three of the five girls rode in.

Cat looked up from her phone. "KTV."

"What's KTV?"

"Karaoke!" Stella cheered. "Private karaoke room! Pizza! Coffee! And singing until our lungs are sore and we're so deprived of sleep we might as well be wasted."

Kairi snorted out a laugh. "Alright then."

They pulled up to a building covered in lights with the letters "KTV" flashing on a screen. "Let's go!" Lucky cheered as they stepped out of the cabs.

Kairi smiled, happily following the others inside. She felt her heart warm. Surrounded by friends, with good times in store, and Sora feeling so close…

"Nothing could ruin this night!"

But, oh…

How wrong she was.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**

**Thank you for your support!**

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) This is the Final Fantasy victory fanfare.

(2) This is from "The World Ends With You".

(3) Kosho is Japanese for "pepper".

(4) In the manga, Olette has a nail-studded baseball bat, and she actually attacks Axel with it.

(5) On the movie posters in KH3, you can see that the cartoons were made by Ludwig Von Drake, who is also Donald's uncle on his father's side.

(6) Dulcie is a Disney Fairy from the books. She is known as one of the best bakers in Pixie Hollow.

(7) Lani is a bounty hunter from Final Fantasy IX. Leblanc is a sphere hunter from Final Fantasy X-2. Dona and Yunalesca are summoners from Final Fantasy X.

(8) Kairi's outfit is her supergroupies outfit.

* * *

_VAs:_

_Dulcie- __Catherine Taber (Zoe the Fairy, Andoria, Padme Amidala, Penelo, Lori, Numa)_

_Yunalesca- __Kari Wahlgren (Saber, Starfire, Aranea Highwind, Kitana, Emma Frost)_

_Leblanc- __Masasa Moyo (Leblanc, Bumblebee/Karen Beecher, Lisa Hamilton, Psylocke)_

_Dona- __Candi Milo (Dona, Irma, Zadavia, Shantotto, Maya Santos, Coco)_

_Lani- Mela Lee (Rin Tohsaka, Usher Shirokami, Jade, Tiki, Tikki, Rachel Alucard, Celica)_


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter is short, but it's the last one before things really kick into high gear. **

**I hope you enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners! **

* * *

**Chapter 10: Shadows**

* * *

Riku tossed in his sleep, his dreams pulling him into a world of fear.

_He could see his friends. He could see Kairi and Sora. The two in the distance, embracing as they found each other once again. Only for a dark mass to bear down upon them. _

_Riku tried to help. He ran. Running into an invisible wall; no matter how hard he pushed or attacked it, it remained. _

_He could only watch. _

_The darkness wrapping around his friends, pulling them behind a dark door. _

_"__Please!" He screamed. "Let me help them! Don't let me be useless! I want to protect them! PLEASE!" _

_Something soft touched his cheek. _

_He turned, seeing a colorful creature; his komory bat. "You?" The bat landed on his shoulder, nuzzling the boy for a moment before it flew. _

_Through the barrier._

_Through the darkness._

_Into the door._

_After his friends._

* * *

"Kairi! Where have you been!? It's 2am!"

Kairi trudged into the room, eyes barely open as she swayed. "KTV." She closed the door and flopped onto the bed. Not even bothering to get up, she kicked off her shoes and rolled out of her coat.

"Did you have a good time?" Chirithy hopped up onto the bed, moving the coat to the edge of the bed.

"Uh huh…"

The dream eater chuckled as the girl's head sunk into the pillow. So tired she didn't even change into her pajamas.

But she smiled.

A break from her stresses. And she needed it. "Have a good night."

"Night…"

Kairi slipped away into a deep sleep, happy and content.

But not for long.

* * *

_Singing._

_Kairi heard a woman singing. She walked into a room with soft green walls and a cherry wood floor. Everything seemed so much bigger, or was she smaller?_

_"__Oh there you are, dear!" Kairi turned to see an old woman. Her grandmother. "Want to come help grandma make scones?" _

_"__Yeah!" Kairi ran over, stopping as a large door opened. "Mommy! Daddy!" She glanced up, but couldn't see the two clearly. A woman with a golden glow around her head. A man with a red glow around his._

_She couldn't hear their voices. But she knew they were talking. _

_Her mother. Her father. _

_BANG BANG! "Open up in the name of the king!" _

_The man, her father, went to the door. Hushed words. Sharp words. _

_"__Kairi," her grandmother whispered, "go to your room." _

_The girl complied, going to a bedroom with pale pink walls. A little birdcage held a tiny yellow bird. Kairi sat on her bed, watching the door as the voices spoke behind it. Then the speaking turned to yelling. _

_Her door burst open. Men in navy uniforms stormed inside. She heard herself scream as one of them grabbed her arms. The man carried her out of the room, the world blurring as she struggled._

_"__KAIRI!" Three voices yelled._

_The world swirled until they came into a white room, like that of a doctor's office. Test tubes and microscopes lay on tables. Vials of black liquid. _

_Needles. Lots of needles lay on trays. _

_"__LET HER GO!" Someone slammed into the man holding her, tearing her from his arms. She looked up, seeing a flash of red hair in her vision for a moment as deep green eyes looked down at her. _

_Red. _

_A deep, sickly red._

_It splashed on the man's face as something struck him. _

_"__NO!" A woman screamed as someone pulled Kairi away again, dragging her away from the three. She called their names. All she could hear was her own screams as the men dragged her into the doctor's office-_

_or_

_Was it a laboratory?_

_"__Ah, so here you are."_

_"__NO!" _

_"__DON'T TOUCH HER!"_

_"__KAIRI!"_

Kairi shot up, screaming. Her hand covered her mouth, muffling the sound, allowing her to feel the tears on her face.

Her entire body shuddered as the dream reeled through her mind.

"Kairi!" Chirithy laid his paws on her hand. "Shh, it's ok. It's ok. You're safe."

"Wh-what was that…?"

The cat-like creature sighed. "A very old memory. You're remembering things. Not surprising… dream worlds have the ability to bring back painful memories. And with the doors of death so close, you might be seeing the faces of those who have passed as well."

"I'm scared." The white walls of that doctor's office- no -laboratory gave her a sense of dread. Something horrible happened.

Squeak!

Squeak! Squeak!

Small paws touched the edge of her bed as Bubbles pulled himself onto the bed. Then another squeak. A fuzzy, colorful creature pushed against Kairi's face. She cried out for a moment, pushing it back, only to see a fuzzy colorful bat.

"Wh-what…?"

Bubbles licked Kairi's hand, nuzzling against her. She could feel Sora's presence through the squishy creature. "Sora." The bat landed on her leg, squeaking as she patted its head; she felt a gentle presence from the creature. "Riku?"

The small creatures nuzzled against her, and she could almost feel like her two friends sat beside her, comforting her.

Her shuddering stopped, her mind clearing.

And for good or for ill, the dream faded away until she hardly remembered it.

"What time is it?"

"That doesn't matter." Chirithy sat down on the end of the bed. "Go back to sleep. I'll wake you when you need to get up."

Kairi laid down, scooting over to allow the squishy dream eater to lay down on one side of her. The bat settled on the other side, nestling up to her head. She let out a long sigh, scratching the bat. "What's your name?" She asked sleepily. "Riku was never *yawn* good at naming. He probably called you 'Bat'. But *yawn* I'm going to call you Shadow." Shadow trilled quietly as she closed her eyes, drifting away.

* * *

"Kairi! Time to get up!"

The girl moaned, eyes fluttering open to the soft overhead lights turning on. "Chirithy?"

"Time to wake up! You have a mental health check with Cat in an hour." He hopped over to a small tray on the floor. "Stella dropped you off some breakfast too. Better hurry and get ready. You don't want to be late!"

Kairi yawned, nodding as she swung her legs out over the side of the bed. Wait, did she not change into pajamas last night? Great…

Grabbing the bagel from the tray, she took a few bites as she gathered up some clothes, not her uniform as it was her day off, and headed to the showers down the hall. No one else seemed to be around.

Finishing up her bagel, she showered quickly and ran back to her room. She downed the lukewarm coffee from the tray and grabbed the apple before leaving, Chirithy hopping after her.

"Have a good day!"

"Thanks!"

Twenty minutes left. She could take her time. As she leisurely walked, Kairi took bites out of the apple. She felt like some sort of dream woke her up earlier, but she couldn't remember what the dream was. Was it a nightmare?

Tossing her apple core into a trash can, she entered the medical ward. The receptionist looked up. "Kairi?"

"Yes."

"This way." The woman stood up, leading Kairi past the desk to a small room with two fluffy chairs. "Wait in here."

Kairi stepped inside, looking around at the small cream-colored walls. The soft chairs looked comfy and each chair had a small table beside them. The only light in the room was a warm lamp, giving the room a safe and cozy feeling.

"Kairi." Cat walked in behind her, holding a folder. "Please, take a seat." The girl sat down as the nurse closed the door. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Tired."

"Me too." Cat sat down in the other chair. "I'm always tired after those kinds of nights, but it was fun."

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. So, what do we do for this mental health check?"

"Mental health is as important as physical health. My husband is much better at the latter; I'm not only a nurse but also a licensed counselor. I'm here to make sure your mentally well, and if there are any issues, I am here to help you through them. Just so you know, anything you say here is confidential and will not be disclosed with anyone. And if you find that you want to do this on a regular basis to keep up your mental health, or if there seems to be an issue, we can meet on a weekly basis." She handed Kairi a piece of paper. "If you understand this, read through the paper and sign it please."

Taking the paper, Kairi read it. Everything spelled out in plain wording, and it all made sense. She signed.

"Alright, this session is really to just get an idea of where you are mentally. I have a few questionnaires and I want you to answer as honestly as you can." She handed Kairi a clipboard with a stack of papers and a pen.

This was quite a stack of papers. But, she went through each one, filling out answers… some questions struck a cord. She wondered how her mental health really was.

Question 7: Have you been feeling bad about yourself- or that you are a failure or have let yourself or others down?

Questions like that seemed to speak right to her. But she continued to answer every question before handing it back to Cat. "You said if I wanted to come weekly we can?"

"Yes. Would you like to do that?"

"Well," Kairi balled her fists, "I just lost someone very dear to me. And then there's the whole amnesia thing. And Aegis. And… I'm not sure what I'm doing. So, I would really like someone to talk to without worrying about some things getting out."

Cat smiled warmly. "Alright. Would meeting at this time every Saturday work for you? I know it's your day off, but it might be nice to let everything out at the end of the week, and if there's an emergency, you can always call me on the comlink."

"I'd like that. Thanks, Cat."

"It's no trouble." She put the papers in the folder. "By the way, we can address and possibly try to work on your dissociative amnesia if you want."

"Yes!"

Cat nodded. "Also, we'll have to wait a few weeks before we can meet again. I have a conference on the next two Saturdays."

"Ok, that works. Is there anything else I need to do?"

"No." The woman stood up. "So, why not go get lunch with me? I had no breakfast this morning, so I'm starved. And to tell you the truth, I woke up like twenty minutes before your session, so I'm lucky to be awake right now. I had to down some espresso before I came here. So, let's get some food."

Kairi smiled. "Yeah. I'm waiting for Stella; apparently she's going to be helping me decorate my room."

Cat opened the door and the two walked toward the cafeteria. "Actually, they've already started. We're meeting them after lunch."

"Already started!?"

"Apparently, you have a friend named Chirithy who's helping them, and apparently Chirithy is a baku."

Kairi laughed. "Yeah, he is."

* * *

"There you are!" Magia stood at the end of the hall, carrying what appeared to be a cherry wood bedside table. He looked so strange in a tee shirt and jeans, and he didn't have a hat on. "Did you have a good lunch?"

"Yes. Um, is that for my room?"

"Yep." He walked past them. "Come check it out!"

Kairi followed, her eyes lighting up as she saw three walls of her room painted a heather gray with white trim. The fourth wall, Yozora stood near; the soft blue paint near the ceiling faded down to purple, from purple to pink, from pink to a soft orange. Yozora held a paintbrush and seemed to be painting clouds. He was a very good painter.

"What do you think?" He glanced back at her.

"It's beautiful! You're a wonderful artist."

Dipping his brush in a container of paint, he painted another cloud. "Thanks. I thought a sky mural would look good on the wall." He paused, looking back at her again, his gray eye shining. "Sora means sky doesn't it?"

Her heart fluttered at Sora's name. "Yeah."

"Kairi!" Lucky called from down the hall. "Come pick out the bedsheets you like best!"

For the next few hours, as Yozora painted the mural, having Magia dry it with magic as needed, Kairi picked out furniture and accent for her room.

Every time she stepped into her room, the mural spoke to her, bringing out a flood of memories.

_"__Hi Kairi! My name is Sora! It's nice to meet you!"_

She and Chirithy smoothed out the soft yellow bedsheets on the other side of the room.

_"__What's gotten into you? You're the one who's changed, Kairi." _

Lucky handed her a lace-covered lampshade to put on the new lamp.

_"__Kairi, remember what you said before? I'm always with you too. I'll come back to you! I promise!"_

She handed Yozora a new bowl of paint as he handed her some used brushes to wash.

_"__You are different, Kairi. But I'm just glad you're here." _

Everyone stopped, pausing as Magia brought in some coffee and scones for a quick break.

_"__Kairi! I found you" _

They all sat on the floor, laughing as they ate their snacks.

_"__The light in the darkness. It was you. You're the one who kept me from fading away." _

Stella dipped her fingers in paint, laughing as she smeared a little on Kairi's arm.

_"__I feel strong with you, Kairi."_

Kairi watched as Yozora put the finishing touches on the mural.

_"__Kairi, you ready for this?" _

With the mural done and dried, Yozora and Magia pushed the bed against it. Kairi and the others quickly moving in the place the other furniture where it belonged.

_"__Kairi…"_

"There we go! All finished!"

Kairi straightened the gray blanket with blue and purple polka dots that sat at the end of her bed. "It's wonderful. Thank you all so much for your help."

"What're friends for!?"

Kairi smiled, looking around at the messy, paint-covered, sweaty, smiling group around her. "Yeah…" Her eyes drifted again to the mural, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she looked at the sky. Her sky.

_"__I love you."_

* * *

"Something is very wrong."

"Yeah… this place has been changing."

"What do you think it means?"

From behind her helmet, Aqua glanced around the dark rocks of the Realm of Darkness. Not a Heartless in sight.

But she knew _those_ Heartless were nearby.

Watching.

Waiting.

"What do you think those are?"

Terra, placing an armored hand on her shoulder, looked at his friends, kind eyes hidden behind the helmet. "I don't know, but we should go tell the others. And we need to ask about Kairi."

"Yeah." Ven nodded. "She and Chirithy are close."

Terra looked at Aqua. "Don't worry, we can deal with this. Right now, we need to regroup with the others."

"Y-Yeah." Aqua turned to follow the two, but she kept glancing back.

Those things… they felt wrong.

Their yellow eyes staring at them from behind the rocks as their red fingers poked out from crevices.

And she…. Could hear them. Though the other two could not.

Their sickly, raspy voices clawed their way into her mind.

**_Come back to us… Come back, Master Aqua…_**

* * *

**Wow, no footnotes this chapter. That's new.**

**Well, hope you enjoyed it!**

**Thank you for all your support!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix! **

**My OCs © me!**

**Vallis © to DroodleKey!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners! **

* * *

**Chapter 11: Shadow's Strike**

* * *

"Ugh!" Kairi slammed a book shut. Nothing

Still nothing.

"I'll find you another one…" Sinclair took the book, flying off to find her another one.

Kairi leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes to prevent hot, angry tears from trickling down her face.

"Frustrated?" Minister Phinehas walked over, flopping into a chair. "Want to vent?"

Kairi laid her head in her hands. "I've been here a month and we've found nothing! Nothing on the door and nothing for the Keyblade!"

"Why the Keyblade stuff, may I ask?" She looked up at him, silently glaring. "Or… is it a secret?" Silence. "Oooooooh a secret. Look, I'll keep it. I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"Phinehas I-"

"I will swear on my Keyblade-" What!? "Ok, so I don't have a Keyblade, but if I did I would swear on it. I'll swear on yours to keep the secret." He waited, with big puppy-dog eyes.

Kairi sighed. "Fine, if you will keep it secret."

The minister scooted to the edge of his chair, staring like a dog with a wagging tail. "Tell me! I'll help!" He was like a puppy.

The girl summoned her Keyblade. "I damaged it…" She showed him the hairline crack along the shaft. "Aegis broke it. If it gets damaged too much it could break. I don't know… I don't know how to fix it."

He reached over touching the Keyblade. "I would think your master would've taught you how to do that."

"I didn't have a real master. I was trained for a big event. I didn't have a master to teach me anything like that."

His brows narrowed. "I have a friend coming from Britannia. He might be able to find something. I'll see what I can do to keep you out of heavy combat because if the Keyblade goes, our chances at opening the door go too."

"Yeah…"

He smiled, patting Kairi on the head. "I've got your back. It's an honor and a privilege to help a Keybearer."

"You sure your friend can find something?"

"Of course! He's a literature professor and has access to the biggest libraries in the world. He can find anything. They'll come back next month, and we can keep looking here. I'll find something, I promise!"

He stood up and scampered away.

There Kairi sat, an hour. Two. Just reading, studying through another book on the doors.

_"__Kairi."_ She jumped as Yozora's voice sounded through her comlink. _"We need you back at base ASAP."_

Putting a finger to her ear. "I'll be there."

_"__Good. Report to Stella."_

"Yes sir."

Ophelia looked up as Kairi hurried toward the door. "Want us to keep searching for information and hold it for you?"

"Please!" She jogged down, pulling a cell phone out of her pocket. Having still not returned the gummi phone, Stella gave Kairi a Linkpearl smartphone if for no other reason than for Kairi to be able to actually pay for things(1). She opened the Gil Snapper(2) app as she stepped onto the sidewalk. "Taxi!" A cab pulled up and she hopped inside. "Military HQ." She scanned a QR code in the cab as he drove off.

Barely three minutes later, the cab stopped, and she jumped out. Up to Stella's where she pushed open the door only to see Stella with her arms around the shoulders of a guy Kairi'd never seen before.

"Am I interrupting?"

Stella virtually teleported into her chair, blushing. "Why didn't you knock!?"

"I never knock… no one does."

The young man smirked. "She's right, Stella."

Kairi took a look at him. He had short, scruffy navy-blue hair under soft blue eyes. He wore black coat, pants, boots, and gloves with gray and blue accents. He seemed nice.

"So, you're the boyfriend she talks about but never shows pictures of?"

"Yes, I'm the boyfriend." He shook Kairi's hand. "My name is Vallis. And you must be the girl Stella never shuts up about because you have a weird phone, and a magical weapon, _and_ you can summon baku."

"That's me."

Stella moaned. "Just brief her on the mission and leave!" She looked red as Kairi's hair right now.

Vallis smirked. "If you insist. Kairi, Yozora has asked me to train you as a scout."

"A scout?"

"Yes. He had an idea that you would good at long range attacks and scouting ahead. I'm going to show you the ropes in that regard, but we'll need to get you a long range weapon later. If you're ready, we need to leave."

"I'm ready."

Vallis waved goodbye to his girlfriend as he walked out, hand to his comlink. "Commander, we're heading out. Meet you there." He headed downstairs, Kairi following behind.

Scouting? Why scouting?

Did they think she couldn't handle being a fighter?

As they stepped outside, Vallis got onto a motorcycle. "Get on." Kairi did so, grabbing onto some handholds on the side of the bike. "Ok, listen. We're heading to the docks. After we get there, I'll explain things better."

"Ok."

The bike rumbled, pulling out into the street. Kairi grabbed her beret right before it flew off, holding it in her hands as they rode along. The wind whipped into her face as buildings flew past.

She could barely think. Her mind still lingered on the books in the library. She would do her job, and she would do it to the best of her ability, but until then, she would think…

Nothing. A month here and still no information. The dream thing wasn't working either. How much worse could this get?

The bike skidded to a stop; Kairi smelled oil and fish. A dock. Metal warehouses lined the key. She heard the crashing of waves and smelled the salt under the thick oil and putrid fish stench.

For a moment, she saw her home in her mind and nearly forgot where she was.

Vallis pulling a thick metal pole from his bike, strapping it to his back. "Ok, we're going to have to work quickly and quietly." And there came the dash of unwelcome reality. "There is a gang of smugglers hold up in a warehouse. They're going to be unloading cargo. Our job is to scope out the warehouse and take out as many smugglers as we can."

"Ok." Vallis locked his bike as Kairi wrapped her arms around herself. "What do we do?"

"Well, first the pink has to go." He tossed her an orb just small enough to fit into her palm.

"Huh?" Kairi turned the small item in her hands. She could feel the magic through the dark purple thing, amongst swirling lavender wisps, a symbol, 闇, stared back at her. "What is this?"

Vallis tapped the orb. "This is a dressphere(3). It changes the color of your clothing. This one is a Strike Dressphere; squeeze it in your hand and focus."

She looked down at it, squeezing it. The solid-looking thing compressed in her hands, a purple glow spreading up her arms and across her body. All the pink on her outfit changed to a midnight blue; the purple and maroon all turned a deeper shade.

"Much better."

This was… actually pretty cool. Maybe this whole scout thing would be cool, and being far from the action would actually keep her Keyblade safe from breaking. "What now."

"Keep low and follow me." Dashing across the asphalt, he headed for a warehouse. The princess followed behind as they climbed a ladder on the side of the building. Her head barely peeked over the top of the building when Vallis, walking lower to the ground, jogged across the rooftop, leaping from one warehouse roof to another.

The girl pulled herself up and followed, stumbling until she found her footing. Nowhere near as coordinated as she jumped across the rooftops.

She barely made each jump.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

The pace of her footsteps matched the pounding of her heart as she followed her teacher. Vallis stopped on a rooftop, dropping to his knees, waiting for her to reach his side.

She dropped down beside him, gasping for breath. "Wh-what no-"

"Shh!"

He crawled up to the to the edge of the building, facing the ocean, waving for her to follow. She crawled to the edge and glanced over. A large ship lay docked. People hauled boxes back and forth to trucks. "What's in those boxes?"

"Our intel says they're bringing in illegal magical items and creatures."

"Creatures?"

"Yes, kidnapped selkies, werewolves, crysts, and grias(4)."

Kidnapped!? "What do we do?"

"We stop them." He put a hand to his ear. "Commander, we are in position. Ready when you are." He looked over at her. "Our job is to count how many people are out there and where they are." He pulled the metal rod off his back, pressing a button. Parts of it pulled out, revealing a sniper rifle. He scanned the scene below them. "Kairi, take a look. How many people do you see?"

She peeked over the edge again.

How was she to count them all!?

"Well, I think it's about thirty… maybe."

"Good estimate." He pressed his comlink. "We count about thirty, with three trucks to the north-east. I see about 10 mermaid guards around the ship. Package possibly contains hostages." He paused, adjusting his scope. "Alright." He glanced at Kairi. "We'll get you a weapon soon; we're syncing up so that I pick off who I can and then they finish the rest. Watch."

So she watched.

Vallis fired a magical blast from the rifle. Small. Fast. Precise.

And most importantly-

Silent.

Kairi saw the blast hit a head in the water. Was that one of the mermaids?

Two shot.

Three.

Four.

The mermaids all began to cry out. Calling for the attention of everyone around.

Five.

Six.

The people on the short began to scatter as the other mermaids dove beneath the waves.

Vallis continued to take shots as everyone below took cover. "Don't worry. It's a heavy stun blast. It hits them and takes them out." A guy poked his head up from behind a crate only to be struck in the head.

Down he went.

Someone made a break for the truck, only to slam into a green shield. The mermaids suddenly popped back out of the water just for the water around them to freeze in a swirling pattern.

Out of the shadows of other warehouses, Yozora and Magia leapt out, attacking the smugglers.

"Now, we just cover them." He fired shot after shot. Kairi watched as they took down every smuggler. She watched, transfixed as they fought.

Why couldn't she be that good at fighting?

All the smugglers fell… while Kairi watched. Doing nothing.

Vallis pulled back his rifle, putting it away. "Let's get down there. There are some people down there who need us." He jogged over to a ladder dangling off the side of the building, Kairi followed down the ladder.

"Do you think that the kidnapped people are in those crates?"

"Yes. Get them open."

Warehouses thankfully had metal pipes and even some crowbars lying around. Kairi grabbed a crowbar and began to pry open a crate.

Images of her father finding her on an island, flashes in her mind of fire, screams, all flashed in her mind as she popped the top off the crate.

Her breath caught in her throat as she found a small child, only about a foot and a half tall, stared up at her. A little female with long horns and dragon wings. **"****Por favor****. ****Déjeme volver****!" **

"Hey…" Kairi gave a small smile before reaching down to pick up the little girl. "Shh, you're safe now."

She glanced up as police vans drove up, the officers began opening up all the crates, pulling out other draconic-looking kids, wolf-like kids, small black-eyed kids, and crysts.

"A gria." Magia walked over, looking down at the girl in Kairi's arms, who had snuggled into Kairi's comforting embrace, sobbing slightly.

"Gria?"

"They're a fae race from Argentina." He looked down at the little child. "She's probably from Machu Picchu(5) or somewhere near there."

Yozora walked over. "I called my father and he has called all the ambassadors in the city. They'll be coming to get these people back home."

"Is this normal?"

"This kind of smuggling or these kind of jobs?"

"Both."

Yozora looked down at the gria child. "Sometimes. There's smuggling all the time but we don't really get smuggling of this kind all the time. Usually the police deal with it, but for these kinds of jobs they call us in."

Speaking of police, an officer walked over to Kairi. "Hey, we're taking the kids to the crystal tower so they can get home."

"Oh." She looked down at the gria. "You're going home."

The child looked up at the police officer. "Policía?"

"That sounded like police to me."

Kairi handed the child to the officer, watching as they walked away. "I hope she gets home soon."

"She will."

"Soooo," Magia patted her shoulder, "how did you like the scout job?"

Kairi clasped her hands behind her back. "Um, well I didn't do much, but I think I can do that job. Where did you get the idea for it anyway?"

"Phinehas." The prince crossed his arms. "He suggested it to me. Said you were fast and small."

Phinehas?

_"__I'll see what I can do to keep you out of heavy combat because if the Keyblade goes, our chances at opening the door go too"_

He made good on his word. Maybe he could deliver on his other promise too.

She nodded. "I think I could do it. I'll need some training and a long-distance weapon."

"Maybe the commander can make you a rifle like he did for me."

Yozora made that rifle?

"I'll look into working on another one."

Vallis nodded. "I'll head back. Kairi, after lunch, meet me in the training area. Oh, and before I forget-" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a metal arrow with a silver-blue shaft and a golden tip, dangling from a thin black chain. "This is the symbol of all snipers and scouts in Japan. It's called the Dragon's Tail, and is one symbol of the god of war, Bahamut. Here." He placed it in her hand. "May the shadow of battle shield your presence, and may every shot fire swift and true." He smiled. "You're one of us now. See you tomorrow."

"See you…" Kairi looked down at the small arrow. Something about it…

"Kairi," Yozora spoke, "let's go." He strode off, followed by Magia.

The girl followed, clutching the Dragon's Tail in her hands.

* * *

"So this thing can change the colors of your clothes?" Chirithy rolled the dressphere around on the bed, getting a good look at it.

"Yeah." Kairi took off her coat before plopping onto the bed.

The dream eater looked up. "Kairi, what's wrong? I haven't seen you smile in days."

"We still haven't found anything. Not in the library. Not in my dreams. I thought we would've found something by now."

Chirithy walked over, laying his paw on her hand. "You have to be patient. Something will turn up, I'm sure. Just keep following your heart; it will lead you to Sora."

"How!?" The princess snapped, causing her friend to jump back a little. "How can I save him without damning this entire world!? How are we to even get home!? How can I-" she collapsed to her knees. "How can I save anyone…? My Keyblade is damaged. No one believes in me. And, what if I find a way, but then my Keyblade breaks!?" She summoned the blade into her hand, running her fingers along the crack. "I'm worthless…"

"Kairi, you're no-"

"Just leave me alone…" She heard a poofing noise and the squeaks of Shadow and Bubbles as they appeared beside her. "Go away."

They didn't leave.

They sat beside her, quietly watching. Just being there as she sat in silence.

For hours.

And hours.

Kairi pulled out the Dragon's Tail and looked at it. There was nothing she could do but keep going, that she knew. And she hated it.

"Kairi?" Chirithy walked over.

"What?"

"Do you know what that is?"

"Yeah."

The dream eater walked over to the end of Kairi's Keyblade and unclipped the paopu charm.

"What are you doing!?"

He chuckled a little. "You don't know what this is, do you?" He handed her the charm as he took the Dragon's Tail. "Keep that with you. It can be your good luck charm." Kairi clasped the paopu fruit as Chirithy clasped the Dragon's Tail onto the end of her Keyblade.

Her Keyblade flashed.

It changed into a thin blade with a dark blue and black shaft. Thick metal rods went from the blade down to the guard, held in place by swooping red metal on the top and swirls of silver-blue along the bottom. The Dragon's Tail hung from a red gem on the end of the blade. The teether were golden points around a triangle of silver and red.

"A new Keyblade!"

"Anything you get like that charm that has a strong connection between you and the one who gave it can be made into a keychain. Each blade will feel and act differently depending on the bond. How does this one feel?"

Kairi touched the shaft. "It feels old, as if it holds history inside of it."

"Good." Chirithy nodded. "Now, what's its name?"

Kairi closed her eyes, focusing on the blade in her hand. "Shadow's Strike."

The dream eater bounced excitedly. "Your first new Keyblade! See, you're growing as a wielder already. Don't let those negative thoughts worry you. You can do this! And," his paw rested on the Keyblade, "I think this blade has some secrets stored within. So, be ready."

"Yeah…"

Kairi looked at her Keyblade. She didn't feel as excited as Chirithy, but she could do nothing about that.

All she could do was keep going.

There was no turning back.

* * *

**Hmmm. What secrets could the blade hold?**

**I hope you enjoyed this! **

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) This is based off how Wechat Pay and Ailpay are used in China. Phones and apps are used far more for paying than cash.

(2) Linkpearls are the communication devices in FF14. And Gil Snapper is an enemy in the FF series.

(3) Dresspheres are from FF10-2, but in that game they change the clothes completely.

(4) Selkies are… selkies. The werewolves are the gentle lycanthropic creatures from "Final Fantasy 5". I've already explained cryts. Grias are draconic humanoids with wings and horns from "Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift".

(5) In this universe the Grias are the Incan people.

* * *

_VAs:_

_Vallis- Billy Kametz (Naofumi Iwatani, Takuto Maruki, Rui, Galo Thymos, White Blood Cell)_


	12. Chapter 12

**Well, this chapter is going to be… special. **

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me! **

**Aiko © to KeywielderAnima!**

**Cid © to ninjafairygirl!**

**All other OCs © to their respective owners. **

* * *

**Chapter 12: In the Dark of the Night**

* * *

"Riku." Mickey walked out into the mansion courtyard.

The boy sat on a broken pillar, staring up into the night sky. "What's up?"

"We got a call from Aqua. She, Terra, and Ven are back from the Realm of Darkness. They're taking a few days to rest up before they meet us here."

"Did they find anything?"

"Well, they said something strange is happening in the dark realm, but that's it."

Something strange was always happening there. Riku nodded. "Alright." The mouse king went back inside with the others, but Riku stayed outside. Even when all the mansion windows went dark.

Eyes at the stars.

This used to comfort him, but no longer. Even in his darkest times he used to stare at the stars, knowing that somewhere out there, his friends stared up at the same sky. Now…

Who knew what Sora could see. Could he see the sky at all?

And Kairi. Did the sky look the same for her?

The connection that once gave him peace, seemed like nothing but a distant memory to him now.

Clouds rolled in, covering the sky. Thunder rumbled in the distance, lighting up the world around him with bright flashes of light.

**_Heeheehee_**

"Who's there!?" He slipped off the pillar, muscles tense as he walked around the courtyard.

Lightning flashes.

A lone figure, clad in a familiar black coat, stood at the edge of the woods.

Before they teleported away.

"WAIT!" Riku summoned Braveheart and chased after the figure.

Rain began to drip

Drip

Drip

From the sky as Riku looked between the trees, his eyes straining in the pitch dark. The dripping rain came down harder and harder with each moment, making everything harder to see in the dark.

There!

The figure strode between trees before vanishing again.

To his right.

To his left.

Behind him.

Riku tried to follow the figure, but couldn't in the dark maze.

His foot hit a patch of mud, sliding out from under him and he hit the wet ground, rolling to the bottom of a small drop. A log overhead shielded him from the rain as he sat up, shaking the mud from his hair and face.

A pair of boots stood just where he'd fallen from.

"Who are you!?"

**_Heeheehee_**

Small boots with red wrapped around them joined the others before scattering away into the rainy darkness.

The first figure vanished once more, just as Riku stood up.

Thunder.

Lightning.

Riku couldn't see anything.

**_Little boy of light_**

**_Why do you fight_**

A chorus of small voices sang from within the torrent of rain.

**_Fight to save your friends_**

**_Before they meet their ends_**

Something slashes at Riku's ankle. He turned to see a small figure dart into a bush.

**_I sense something, don't you?_**

A single voice whispered for the others to respond.

**_I feel darkness._**

**_Mmm, yes. Such a strong connection. _**

**_But his is different. _**

Small clawed hands latched onto his legs. Riku caught a glimpse of red fingers and yellow eyes before the culprits vanished again.

**_He could still join._**

**_Oh yes. Of course he could. _**

**_Didn't he once though?_**

**_Just a little._**

"Come out!" Riku yelled. "I'm tired of these games!" He backed up until his back hit a tree.

**_Oh but we're just getting started…_**

Right in his ear! Riku jumped back, turning as lightning flashed.

There! A small black creature the size of a soldier Heartless.

It vanished into a tree.

**_Heeheehee_**

That laughing again!

Further it went.

The laughter seemed to get further away, and further away.

CRACK

Thunder rang across the town.

And Riku heard nothing but rain.

Nothing at all.

His heart thudded in his chest.

BA-BOOM-BA-BOOM-BA-BOOM

"What..." BA-B00M-BA-BOOM "What were those things?"

* * *

"Ok. I have two hours before I go train with Vallis… should be enough time to search another section of the library." Kairi stared straight ahead, toward the exit doors.

"Kairi!" Magia skidded to a stop in front of her. "Where are you going?"

"The library."

The mage put a hand on her shoulder, turning her around. "Nope. The general is back and she wants to meet you!"

"Oh." The two walked past the elevator to a dim hallway with a stairwell at the end. Kairi had never been this way before. Never needed to. Down the stairs, they walked into a large metal bay.

"Whoa…! What is that!?"

Magia laughed. "Oh yeah, you've only done local assignments and haven't been out to the airfield. This is the flagship of our airship fleet, the Levia(1)."

Kairi blinked, in awe of the great metal beast before her. A long metal canister with engines on each side stood towering over them. Along the sides she could see the painting of a winged sea serpent that spanned the length of the airship(2).

"How did you get that in here and no one saw!?"

"There." He pointed to a track. "Beyond those bay doors at the end, there's a HUGE taxi runway that leads out to the ocean. So, it lands out there and drives in here. Maybe we can get you a tour later. Come on. The general's office is this way."

The two walked past the massive airship to a hallway. Engineers and pilots walked past them, chattering, paying no mind to the two.

Up two flights of stairs to another hall with glass windows that overlooked the Levia, they could hear a voice at the end of the hall.

A very loud, very angry voice.

"This is the last straw Aegis! I've put up with your complex for long enough! This is your last chance! I don't care if the king himself orders me to keep you on Yozora's squad! You hurt one more person after this and I'll see that you're out even if I have to throw you off the Levia into the ocean! DO I MAKE MYSELF PERFECTLY CLEAR!?"

"Yes, General." Aegis?

"Good! You're back on the squad but watch yourself! One misstep and you're done!"

"Yes, General."

Kairi stepped into the nice office. Yozora sat, slumped in a chair, with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Aegis stood stiff, but Kairi could see beads of sweat running down the sides of his face.

Yipes.

Then, there was the general.

A short woman, shorter than Aegis and Yozora for sure, stood there, one hand on her hips. She wore a red jack and red skirt that covered a black crop-top and black short. A tattoo on her left leg covered the space between her shorts and her long white socks that poked out from her black boots. Kairi blinked as she noticed the woman's left arm… her METAL left arm.

Then the general turned to them, and Kairi felt a chill go up her spine as one brown eye and one metal eye studied her from under locks of brown hair.

This. Was the general.

The optics of the metal eye rotated, zooming in and out. But, her real eye softened. "And this must be Kairi. A pleasure to finally meet you. Honestly, in every message I got from the triad in the last month they mentioned you." She walked over and held out her gloved, human hand to Kairi. "My name is General Aiko."

"N-nice to meet you too."

"So, you're a real Keyblade wielder? Phinehas wouldn't shut up about it; pretty sure he had to hyperventilate into a paper bag once, he was so excited."

"Yes, ma'am- general- Miss…"

"General will do." The woman smiled. Wow, this close, she really wasn't much taller than Kairi… maybe about Sora's height, or just a little taller. "So, other than the actions of _some people_," she glanced back at Aegis, "how are you liking working here?"

Kairi bit her lip. "Well, it's different than what I'm used to, but I've made some good friends."

"I'm sure Lucky has already applied to adopt you by now."

"Basically, yeah."

"And Stella has your sweet order, I'm sure. I get chocolate pocky from her all the time."

"Yeah."

"She's going to be scouting for our squad now." Yozora stood up, his eyes glancing at Aegis.

Aiko smiled. "That's great! I'm glad you're settling in. And I'm sorry I wasn't here to greet you myself." Where'd the terrifying, screaming, commanding leader go!? She reminded Kairi of her mother now! "I've been out traveling the world. Have to conference with other militaries, you know. Even though the next time the door opens will be in three generations, we might as well get preparing now. We can update systems constantly and have them in place already."

Wow.

A world ready for war.

"How did the visit to Colombia go?" Yozora asked, his silver eyes shimmering. "I heard from Phinehas that they're in a civil war right now."

"More like a coup. And they're losing. The state of Texas is about to take over the whole country at this rate. But enough about that boring stuff, Kairi, there is someone else you need to meet, and he has something of yours."

The girl nodded. "Alright."

The general led them back down the hall, even Aegis came. Down the stairs to another office on the ground floor. This one with a metal shutter for a door.

"Kairi," Yozora leaned over and whispered, "be warned, this guy is a little… eccentric to say the least."

That was obvious. As they stepped into the office, Kairi's eyes found themselves drawn to a giant corkboard, covered in drawings, blurry photographs, marked-up maps, and badly written wording all connected together with a web of blue string. All the strings connected together at a picture in the center of the board.

A drawing of weird frog-like creatures with yellow round eyes that stood on two legs and wore a brown cloak. In one slimy-looking hand they held a large kitchen knife, and in the other a lantern. The one in the middle of the picture wore a crown as well.

…

What?

"CID!"

"HOLD ON!" Out of a back room came a man with short black hair and a scruffy-stubble beard. He wore a black shirt under a blue Hawaiian shirt, brown pants, and brown boots. His green eyes stared down at-

"My gummi phone."

He looked up. "You're the girl! This is your phone!" He rushed over. "This is the most amazing piece of technology I've ever seen! It's a marriage of magic and science that people have only dreamed of! I can't even tell what it's made of! All I know is it's a magic thing."

Kairi gingerly pulled the phone from him, though he didn't look thrilled about it, "They're called gummi blocks. I don't know what they're made of though."

"Dangit!" He scratched his chin. "Another mystery!" He grabbed a piece of paper, with a picture of Kairi's gummi phone on it, off his desk and tacked it to the corkboard. "I wonder…" He seemingly teleported over to Kairi, grabbing her arms. "Is it made of tonberry or tonberry magic!? It is isn't it!?"

The girl stumbled back, away from him. "What's a tonberry?"

Oh no. Magia and Yozora both stood behind Cid shaking their heads.

Too little.

Too late.

"What are tonberries!?" He ran to the corkboard, slamming his hand into the middle picture. "These are tonberries! Creatures rumored to exist somewhere below the surface of the earth. Legends say they are the most powerful creatures to exist despite their harmless appearance. There have be-"

SMACK

Aiko walked over and smacked the back of Cid's head. "Don't scare the poor girl! Calm down ya loon."

"I'm no loon, Ai!"

"Stop acting like one then."

The two went back and forth like this for about a minute. Kairi leaned over to Yozora, whispering. "Are they… together?"

"Who knows."

"_Kairi, you ready for training in an hour?_" Oh! Vallis.

"Vallis," Kairi put a finger to her ear, "yeah, I'll be there."

Aiko and Cid stopped. "You going somewhere?"

"I have training with Vallis in an hour, that's all."

The general grinned. "Why don't we join you. I would love to see a Keyblade wielder in action."

Cid nodded. "Me too!"

Great. Now she had an audience.

* * *

"Alright Kairi," Vallis pressed a button on his rifle and it shifted, changing into a blade on his arm, "show me what you can do."

The princess nodded, summoning Shadow's Strike.

"Hey!" Magia yelled. "That's a different sword! You have more than one Keyblade!?"

She shook her head. "No. I just changed the Keychain on the end. It changes the blade." She held up the Dragon's Tail that hung on the end. "I used the thing Vallis gave me yesterday, and it made the Keyblade."

"Amazing!" Cid gasped.

Vallis's eyes twinkled at the news. "Wow! Well, now I really want to see what you can do with that weapon! Come at me!"

Kairi immediately threw her Keyblade, teleporting to him, much to his surprise, giving him little time to block as she brought down her Keyblade onto him. He blocked, pushing her back, but Kairi immediately replied with a Fire spell.

Training with Alexis every day helped her feel much more confident about going on the offensive.

But she faltered a little. The Keyblade felt differently in her hands. Lighter, faster. She felt magic surge through her as she completed strikes against Vallis, aiming the last strike as a barrier of light surged up around her in a crystalline pattern(3), knocking her opponent back before they vanished.

Whoa…

Magic surged through her, culminating at her Keyblade. She felt it shudder in her hand as if it wanted to burst.

So she released it. Magic flooded to the blade, causing it to fall apart, shifting in her grasp, much to Kairi's own surprise.

"What!?"

The blade came back together, now so long it took two hands to hold.

"Is that!?"

Kairi gasped as she looked down at her weapon. It was no longer a sword; now she held a long sniper rifle. Her Keyblade changed, like Sora's…

"What in the name of Bahamut!?"

Vallis jogged over. "Where did you-?"

"My Keyblade transformed. I've seen it happen, but I didn't know mine could do that!"

"Fire it!" Vallis pointed to the other side of the room. "Aim for that wall."

"I've never fired a gun before."

The sniper lifted Kairi's arms; he seemed frazzled, still in shock about the sudden weapon change before him. "Hold it here and here. Press it firmly against your shoulder and look down the scope. Keep both eyes open and pull the trigger."

She did so.

Her finger pulled back on the trigger. The gun lurched, but barely made a sound as a magical projectile flew across the room, striking the wall. The kickback of the gun caught Kairi off guard; she fell back, dropping the gun. It vanished, like her Keyblade normally would.

"Ow."

Aiko ran over and helped Kairi up. "Are you hurt?"

"No. It surprised me." The girl looked across at the scorch mark on the wall. She held out her hand and the gun reappeared in her hand. "I think it turns back to the Keyblade after a while…"

Yozora walked over, kneeling down to look at it. "I guess I won't have to make you a rifle then. Looks like it fires a stun blast in the form of concentrated lightning magic." His red eye glistened as he studied the weapon. "Can it transform more?"

"Maybe."

Vallis nodded. "Fire it off a few more times, but maybe from a kneeling position. And pull it tighter to your shoulder."

Kairi did so. Firing off more shots until she felt the magic building up again; she probably could keep shooting a little longer, but right now it didn't matter.

Again, she release the magic, feeling the weapon change once more. Longer. Thinner, lighter.

She stood up as it finished changing, changing into a long spear.

"I haven't seen one of those since…" Aiko touched the long spear. "It's a dragoon spear."

"A what?"

The general smiled. "When I was a kid, there used to be a military unit known as the dragoons. We don't have them anymore, but they were a unit who used spears like these to leap from high places, spears in hand. In myth, dragoons used spears to leap down upon dragons, stabbing them from above." She looked at Kairi. "You have a scout's arsenal. A sniper for long range, and then a weapon you can use from above. Amazing."

Kairi looked down at the weapon.

Maybe, this weapon would help her be stronger.

Or… she'd just fail even more miserably.

"Kairi." Aegis crossed his arms. "Train more. Inexperience will get you killed." Was he giving her advice?

Vallis nodded. "He's right. We can try and practice with the rifle for a while."

"Ok."

* * *

Cid and the General left about an hour or so, but Kairi kept training. With the gun. With the spear.

Hours and hours.

Aegis, Magia, and Yozora sat on the sidelines, shouting advice every once in a while.

Kairi felt completely exhausted.

The quick lunch did little for her, especially since she didn't feel like eating at all.

The training itself wasn't even that difficult. She just felt so tired.

"Vallis," Yozora stood up, "wrap it up. Kairi needs to clean up before we go."

"Wait… where are we going?"

Aegis let out a long sigh. "Yozora, Magia, did neither of your explain things to her?" They shook their heads. "How in the world did you do anything without me? Kairi, when the general returns from things like this, she has to give a full report to the triad and to other leaders. We're part of the prince's team, so we are required to attend too. So, go get showered and in uniform. You have an hour."

Thanks for the heads up.

Kairi jogged for the exit. "Warn me next time!"

"Sorry."

* * *

"Seriously, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Kairi smoothed out her coat and tucked a wild strand of hair under her hat.

"Our bad."

Kairi fumed as they walked into the tower. Up to the throne room they went, the girl composing herself in the elevator. As they stepped out, Kairi could see the triad, as well as General Aiko. A few other people stood in the room, chatting.

Hoshiko glided over, taking Kairi's hands. "It's so good to see you. Come, meet some of our friends." She led Kairi over to a group of strangers, gesturing first to a man with shoulder-length brown hair and green eyes. "This is our chief of police, Hiroaki Hirata." She looked toward a man with slicked back blonde hair and deep blue eyes. "This is Toru Okawa. He regulates the energy usage of Japan." She looked lastly at a woman with soft brown hair and gray eyes. "And this is our Treasurer, Mie Sonozaki(4). Everyone, this is the newest member of Prince Yozora's team, Princess Kairi."

"Princess!?"

Why did they have to use her title like that!? She wasn't a real princess!

"Yes, she came from far away to assist us. She's from a small island that I'd never heard of, called the Destiny Islands."

"I've never heard of it either."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Princess."

"Th-thanks…" Great. Now everyone would know her as a princess.

King Hayate clapped his hands. "Everyone, dinner is ready on the balcony. General, if you're ready."

"I am."

Kairi had never been up on the balcony inside the throne room. She followed the others up the stairs that lined the walls of the room. Over the entrance, she saw a long table, lined with food of all kinds.

Thankfully the food was good. The meeting itself was either boring or went over Kairi's head. She didn't know anything about any of the places mentioned. It didn't really make sense to her why people would be concerned that some place called the Ottoman Empire was using less and less technology and more magic.

But at least she had some good food.

"And, before we dismiss" The king stood up; finally it was almost over, "In four months, it will be the anniversary of the closing of the Doors of Death." Kairi noticed Yozora tense. "We will be hosting the crystal ball and people from all over the world will be attending. And at the ball, I will announce my son's bride and future queen. It will be a night of celebration an-"

Yozora stood up.

Without a word, he walked down the stairs and into the elevator.

"Yozora!" Magia and Aegis got up, as did Kairi, following him. The elevator doors closed in their faces, taking the prince down.

The elevator came back up a minute later. Kairi stepped inside with the other two. "Do you think we'll catch him?"

"He's probably taken a cab back to base already, or he's most likely walking back." Aegis huffed. "He's luck he doesn't really need a bodyguard."

"Why don't we walk too?" Magia asked.

"I don't see why not."

The three stepped out of the elevator and exited the tower. "There he is." Kairi jogged down the sidewalk, catching up to the prince who was not too far ahead. "Yozora, hold on!"

"Go away."

He sounded like Riku on a bad day. "Fine, I won't talk. I'll just walk."

"No. I want you to leave." Kairi continued to walk beside him in silence. This always worked with Riku when he was especially moody. The prince stopped, grabbing Kairi's arm. "I said leave me alone!" He shoved her back.

Kairi stumbled backwards, falling onto her rear. "Hey! I was trying to help!"

"I don't want your help!"

"Well too bad!" She moved to get up, but the prince planted his foot on her leg. "Stop that!"

"I said LEAVE ME ALONE!"

His red eye flashed as a burst energy surged through the air around him. He removed his foot and jogged off into the darkness.

"Are you ok!?" Magia appeared at Kairi's side, helping the girl up.

"I…"

Aegis looked down at her leg. "I don't think he hurt her. But, I haven't seen him like that in a long time."

"Yeah… last time was when that giant giga nearly crushed… the maiden(5)."

Kairi looked down at the ground. "I didn't mean to get him so angry."

"He was already furious." Aegis said. "He doesn't want to get married. He loved the maiden, and now that she's gone, he doesn't want anyone else."

"But he has to. The line of the champion and of the king must go on."

The three walked along the sidewalk in the cool of the night. Kairi looking up at the stars. "When I open the door and save Sora, do you think I could rescue her too?"

The young men looked at her. "You think that's possible? We can't even remember her."

"Maybe we can fix that. And even if we can't, then you can make new memories with her. Memories may vanish, by the heart never forgets."

Magia nodded. "Then we have a timeline. We need to figure out how to open that door in four months. And if something happens and we don't do it by then, then we need to open it before Yozora and whoever the girl is get married."

"I agree." Aegis pulled out his notebook, scribbling something down. "And if Kairi progresses as she has been I predict we can make the timeline."

Wait?

"Did you just compliment me?"

"Your combat skills are better than they were, and I'm not keen on getting kicked out of the military, so I'll play nice."

That sounded like an "Aegis compliment". She'd take it.

Magia started to laugh. "Dude, you sound like your going soft!"

Much to Aegis's delight and Magia's chagrin, they passed by an alley with an open trash can. The glasses-wearing man quickly knelt down, grabbing his friend's legs before tossing Magia into the garbage can.

Kairi, for the first time in days, laughed. Her laughter grew as Magia climbed out of the garbage and began trying to catch Aegis. Aegis didn't smile or break a sweat during the chase, but his eyes shone.

For a moment, just a moment, Kairi felt like she was on the beach with Sora and Riku once more.

* * *

Ven laid in his bed for the first night in a year. He missed his bed. And he was happy to be out of the dark realm; that place gave him the creeps.

He curled up under the sheets. His last thoughts were of Chirithy. He hoped his friend was alright.

_Ven found himself standing in a dark warehouse. _

_He was looking for something… or someone. He couldn't remember who or what he was looking for. _

_He turned around as a door opened. A girl in a white cloak stood in the opening. _

_"__Hello?" _

_Suddenly, an entity of darkness swept down, engulfing the girl in darkness. Ven tried to run, but two arms grabbed him from behind. _

_"__Going somewhere?" _

_"__Vanitas!? Let me go!" _

_"__You can't leave…" _

_Clawed hands with red fingers grabbed Ven's legs as Vanitas held Ven still._

_The dark entity turned on Ven, charging forward. Ven screamed as the dark creature plunged its hand into Ven's chest. _

_"__**Embrace the darkness**_._"_

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) Levia is another name for Leviathan

(2) Think the size of the helicarrier from Marvel, but thinner and longer.

(3) This is Ripple Drive, a combo finisher from KH1 FM and KH2 FM.

(4) These characters are references to Final Fantasy characters. Mie Sonozaki is the name of Ashe's (FF12) Japanese voice actor. Toru Okawa is the name of Rufas's (FFR7) Japanese voice actor. Hiroaki Hirata is the name of Laguna Loire's (FF8) Japanese voice actor.

(5) This is the instance seen in the Verum Rex trailer at the beginning of Toy Box.

* * *

_VAs:_

_Mysterious creatures- __Lara Woodhull (Hinami Fueguchi, Eco, Ninya, Maika Tsuchimikado)_

_General Aiko- __Colleen Clinkenbeard (Erza Scarlet, Momo Yaoyorozu, Lilith, Chisa Yukizome)_

_Cid- __Allan Tudyk (Wash, Green Arrow/Oliver Queen, Duke of Weselton, Duke Weselton) _

_Mie Sonozaki-__ Kari Wahlgren (Ashe, Saber, Sheena/Tigress, Dee Eye Ell, Kitana) _

_Toru Okawa-__ Josh Bowman (Rufus Shinra, Krasko, Daniel Grayson, John Stevenson) _

_Hiroaki Hinata-__ Armando Valdes-Kennedy (Laguna Loire, Lucia Raregroove, Racas) _


	13. Chapter 13

**Here's the next chapter!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Butterfly Effect**

* * *

"Take a deep breath until you can continue."

Kairi leaned forward in the chair, resting her face in her hands; Cat sat across from her, patiently waiting.

The princess let out a long sigh before speaking again. "I'm just tired. I just want to find Sora, but nothing has come up. Nothing! We still don't know how to get to him. I want him back… so badly."

"I know you do," Cat said gently, "but you're running yourself ragged trying to do everything. You've spent nearly every day in that library, and it's draining you. Don't you have help in this search?"

"Phinehas is helping, even said his friend in Britannia has some books that might help. He also asked some people he knows in China and the Ottoman Empire."

"And yet you still run yourself ragged looking for the answers yourself. Seems to me like you want to be the one to save him, by yourself."

Kairi looked up. "I want the help."

"You don't act like it. Kairi, you need to step back and let others help you." The nurse scribbled something on her paper. "I have some homework for you this week. Don't go to the library. Not even once."

"What!?"

"You need an emotional break."

"I need to find Sora!"

Cat reached over, laying her hand on Kairi's shoulder. "I know, but you can't do it alone, and yet you still try. You have friends trying so hard to help you, but you have to let them. So, I need you to take a week away from the library, and if I have to ask the others to keep you busy to do so, I will. But I don't want to. I want you to make that decision on your own. Ok?"

"Ok." Kairi gripped the fringe of her skirt, gritting her teeth at the thought of just doing nothing.

"_Kairi_," Yozora's voice buzzed in her ear, "_we have a mission. Meet us at Stella's room._"

Great.

"Cat, Yozora just called me. I have to go."

"Alright, but I meant what I said. Take the week off."

Kairi stood up, leaving the small room. "Yozora, on my way." She hurried up to Stella's room, where she found her squad and Vallis. "What's the mission?"

"Straight to business?" Stella frowned.

Vallis glanced at his girlfriend before looking at the team. "We got a tip that the LLE are in the city."

"LLE?"

"Lux Liberationis Exercitus. LLE." Aegis looked over at her. "Military group that spans the world. They want to destroy the Doors to Death by force. It's been tried before, but failed. They think we have the ability now to destroy it."

Yozora nodded. "But, they will use any force necessary to reach the door, and anyone in their way needs to be removed, civilians included."

"The military ran them out of Japan twenty years ago. They've been hiding out in the mountains near the Japan-Russia Border. We got word that some were spotted in Tokyo." Vallis crossed his arms. "Right now, we need to see if these claims are true, and if they are, we need to establish what the LLE is doing."

Stella looked up at Kairi. "This will help." She handed Kairi a black briefcase. "You're the scout, so they're yours to use."

"What do you mean?"

"My drones." The blonde tapped the case. "These are four surveillance drones. I call them the Chocobros(1)."

Vallis nodded. "The general wants the four of you to go. I'll watch through the drone cameras on this end. Kairi, you will pilot them, and the rest of you will advise. Whatever we see, we will need you three to help call the shots on our actions. Stella will coordinate. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Let's go." Yozora crossed his arms. "Hercshal is downstairs waiting."

The four quickly made their way downstairs. The old, red-haired man stood by the large black military vehicle Kairi had first stepped into on her first day. He bowed his head slightly as they got in.

"So," Kairi tightened her grip on the case as the vehicle started, "can you tell me more about the LLE?"

Magia leaned back against the seat. "Well, the group's motives aren't actually that different from ours. They want to keep the door from ever opening again and to stop the cycle of the maiden and champion. Thing is, they don't care what they have to do to complete that goal, deeming themselves above the law. And that makes them dangerous."

"My father ran them out of Japan when I was about a year old." Yozora leaned forward, his silver eye shuddering. "He'd tolerated them for a while, having an unspoken agreement to leave them alone until after the doors opened. With my birth, he knew it would come, and he wanted their military help. Until they tried to kidnap me."

"Kidnap you!?"

"They wanted me to be part of their group and destroy the doors rather than go through with my fate. So, they attacked our motorcade during a national holiday. My mother, Queen Miyako, was killed in the attack. After that, my father chased them out of Japan."

Kairi frowned. "I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago. I don't even remember my mother, so it's fine." He let out a long sigh. "But, enough about that. My father told me this morning we'd be getting this mission, and he said I'm making the calls. It's a training exercise for me, to see how I make decisions as a leader, since I'm to be king and all. So, whatever we find, I'll be the one to make the call if we attack or just observe them. Got it?"

"Got it."

Aegis slid next to Kairi. "I'll instruct you, since you don't know how to use these drones." He opened the case for her. Inside, four tiny bird-shaped drones sat in a nest of foam. "You'll use the remote to pilot them all. The feed will go to the screens here in the vehicle, and to Vallis and Stella."

"Ok." Kairi picked up the remote, looking at the screen surrounded by four little joysticks. This was probably going to be hard to control.

"Sir," Hercshal called from the front, "we'll be arriving in five minutes."

"Alright."

The vehicle soon lurched to a stop. Magia opened the side door. "Set down the case and turn those birds on."

Kairi set the case on the floor before turning on the remote. The little birds let out a metallic chirp as the remote screen activated. Around the vehicle, screens began to appear, showing the video feed, which was little more than a view of Yozora, Aegis, and Kairi's legs.

"_Feed received._" Stella called in.

"_Prepare for surveillance_." Vallis commanded.

Aegis pointed to a button on the screen. "There. The drones destination is already programmed in. Just hit the 'survey' button. You can control them after they're in position."

Oh, so maybe it wouldn't be that hard.

Pressing the button, the little metal birds lifted out of the case and flew out the door. Magia closed the door as they all looked to the screens.

The drones closed in on a warehouse next to an old parking garage. The garage looked under construction, with plastic covering all openings. A perfect place to hide.

Kairi watched as two drones split off, going to the parking garage, while the other two continued to the warehouse.

As the two slipped into the parking garage, images of men in military gear came into view. The gear did not all look the same; different colors, styles, flags. But all had the letters I.I. painted somewhere on the uniform.

Cases lay around, open and empty.

"Looks like they just moved in." Aegis tapped his chin. "I see fifty empty cases, most likely to be used for weapon and ammo storage."

On other levels of the garage, the troops had set up bunks and a medical station of some kind. This was their base.

"Look there." Yozora pointed to one screen, "Kairi, move in drone 3 for a closer look." The girl put her thumb on the joystick marked "3". When she moved her finger, the drone moved.

This wasn't that hard at all.

She moved it closer to a group of wooden crates. "What are those?'

"Weapons. Too small to be rocket launchers or anything of that sort, but it does mean they're stockpiling. I have to agree, Aegis, they must have just arrived recently."

"Why come back like this?" Magia stared at the screen. "They know security is just going to be getting tighter. With the one-year anniversary coming up, diplomats will be showing up from all around the world."

"_Maybe_," Vallis added, "_they plan to attack on that anniversary?_"

"_Too risky. We'd expect an attack on that day. It's too cliché of an idea._" Stella piped up.

"Agreed."

"_Kairi_," Stella spoke, "_see the button that looks like an egg near 3's stick? That will lay an egg._"

"Huh?"

"_A tracker. It will have the drone drop a tiny tracker there, so we know where the weapons are being stashed_."

"Oh." She pressed the button.

"_G-guys… look at camera 1._"

All eyes turned to cameras 1 and 2.

"No way…"

"That's impossible, isn't it!?"

Kairi blinked, staring at the image of a large giga. The cockpit stood open, and a person sat inside, working on something.

"_How do they have a giga!?_"

"H-how…?" Yozora's voice shuddered, a hand going to his head as his face contorted in pain.

"Yozora?"

The prince groaned as he clutched at his hair. His silver eye shuddered as a ring of red formed around the silver orb.

The prince's voice began to change, sounding more and more different by the moment. "**Those are ****_my_**** gigas! They answer to no one but me and my AI**!"

Kairi scooted back, her breath catching in her throat. "Oh no," Magia pulled her away from him, "it's Frode!"

"Frode!? Isn't that the person who merged with-"

"Yep! The one behind the gigas!"

"Yozora! Don't let him come out!"

The prince turned, both eyes red. "**How do those simpletons have one of my gigas!? Those only answer to me and Anax**!" Kairi felt her heart thudding against her chest. A pressure, just like when he snapped at her after dinner, oozed from him. It felt suffocating.

And it terrified her.

"Yozora!" Aegis smacked Yozora in the face until the prince's one eye turned silver again. "Are you, you again?"

"Huh?" Yozora groaned slightly, holding his head as sweat began appearing on his brow. "What? What happened?"

"Remember when you first started changing from your old self and Frode would literally take over sometimes?"

"Well I remember you telling me about that because I can't remember it. Why?"

Magia moved back to his seat. "He just did it again because of that." He pointed to screen one. "And he's right. How would the LLE be able to capture and use a giga? We couldn't even capture them. They were set to explode if captured. They shouldn't have one… let alone be able to get inside one."

Yozora stared at the screens in silence, sweat still dripping down his face. Everyone waited. He _was_ supposed to make the call on this mission.

"Leave the drone. This," he pointed at the screen with the giga, "is not normal. I want to observe them." He put a finger to his ear. "Stella, camera 1 needs to nest and keep an eye on this situation. We're pulling the others back. Get a team to observe the situation at all times."

"_Alright. Are you ok? You sound… panicked_."

"Stella, I'm fine. Just do what I say."

"_Yes sir_."

Yozora took in a deep breath. "Pull the other drones back. Do it now."

Kairi slowly picked her remote up and did as she was told. But her eyes never left the prince. The pressure was gone, but she didn't want to be anywhere near him right now.

* * *

"This isn't good."

Kairi and the rest of her squad stood before General Aiko. The woman paced back and forth behind her desk.

"The LLE returning and somehow having a giga under their command is really bad news."

"Something has been on my mind," Aegis tapped his pen against his notebook, "the other evils that came from the door could never be controlled by people here. People tried to control the monsters or join the groups that came from the door, but history has told us that doing so is impossible. What comes from the door seeks to destroy everything, and even those who may try to fight alongside it perish. Why then, was that giga being worked on. It should've killed them all by now."

Aiko nodded. "You're right. This is strange, and it is unsettling."

"But what would make the gigas different from anything else? How could they be controlled?"

Yozora stepped forward. "There is one variable that might have shifted everything. One thing that we have that we've never had before. Maybe it caused something to go wrong. Like the butterfly effect…"

"You mean, the smallest change can cause the biggest one?" Kairi tapped her chin. She'd heard something like that in school before.

"Exactly," Yozora crossed his arms, "and the only change here… is you."

Wait?

Kairi let out a light gasp as Yozora's eyes fixed on her. "But, I didn't do anything!"

"You're here aren't you? You're the butterfly. No Keyblade wielder has been in this before, and we haven't tried to open the door like this before. But we are."

He stepped closer, towering over her.

"Because of you."

"Yozora, hold on!"

"Kairi may be a variable, but I doubt she's the cause."

Aiko laid a hand on Yozora's shoulder. "Back away from her. Now." An order.

"You're blaming me!" Kairi grit her teeth as the prince took a step back. "I've done nothing but try and help, and you're blaming me for this! I'm trying to lock that door and help you!"

"You only care about saving Sora, don't act like we matter to you."

"How dare you! I do care about you and this world! I want Sora back, but I want to help too!"

Yozora narrowed his brow. "If you want to help, go back to where you came from."

"I CAN'T GO BACK! I'm stuck here with a jerk like you! I'm going to do what I said! I'll save Sora and close that door for good!" Her heart thudded in her chest. "I can't believe I felt sorry for you! I was going to go out of my way to try and help you, but I guess you don't want it!"

"I don't want or need your help."

"Screw you then!"

Turning on her heels, Kairi stormed off. The others called out for her, but she could care less. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes, but she blinked them away as she hurried down the stairs and into the airship hanger.

"Kairi! Kairi wait!" A hand grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. "Hold on."

"Magia, leave me alone."

"No." She turned to look at him. His eyes looked both sad and determined. He gently grabbed her upper arm. "Come on." The two walked into a small room with chairs and vending machines before he sat down. "I need you to sit and take a breather."

Reluctantly, she sat; he probably wouldn't let her leave.

"Good. Now wait here." He got up and went to a vending machine.

"Kairi." Chirithy popped in, standing on the table. "I'm sorry. Those things Yozora said were out of line."

"Yeah, they were." Magia picked up the two cans that dropped out of the machine. "Chirithy, want one?"

"Sure."

Kairi crossed her arms, not looking at the mage or dream eater. "Just go away. I don't want to talk to you."

"Kairi, we're just trying to help."

"I don't need it."

Chirithy sighed. "Now you sound like Yozora."

"I don't sound like him!" She yelled, causing the dream eater to jump back.

"Hey, take a deep breath. Don't take it out on your friend; he's just trying to help." After getting a third drink, the mage came back over. "Here." He slid a can of iced coffee to Chirithy and a peach-flavored drink to Kairi. "Look, Yozora didn't mean what he said. He's been out of it lately. The whole marriage thing has him on edge, and… well you saw what happened today."

"Frode."

"Yeah. That hasn't happened since Frode and Yozora's hearts merged. Guess the giga thing really set off the scientist." Magia took a sip of his espresso. "You're not the cause of what's been happening."

Kairi wrapped her fingers around the drink can, feeling goosebumps prick up all up her arm. "Maybe he's right. I am the odd variable here."

"And maybe that is causing things to be weird, but so what. Things have gone the same since the door first opened. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, but that's what we've been doing for generations. You brought change. Change may be the key to ending it all."

"Maybe."

But what could she do? The barely trained warrior with a broken blade.

"Look, both you and Yozora need a break. Both of you have been running like freight trains and I think it's gotten to you." He pulled out his phone. "I think Minister Hoshiko's idea was right on time."

"What idea?"

"She was going to take the four of out to do a PR thing. You know, since Yozora is the future king, he needs to get his face out there, and we usually join him." He smiled. "Not sure what the activity is, but I'm sure it'll be fun. And, it will give the two of you a chance to relax and to cool off. Ok?"

"Ok…"

"Great! I'll let her know we're all excited for tomorrow! It's going to be awesome!"

She wasn't supposed to go to the library anyway, so why not? Maybe whatever this excursion was would take her mind off Sora.

Maybe.

* * *

"Hey guys!"

Riku looked up as the mansion doors opened. Ven came bouncing in, followed by Terra and Aqua.

"Welcome back!"

"Hey, you guys look good!"

Ven grinned. "Thought it was time for a change." He walked over to Roxas. "I had Aqua use a spell to make my hair a little longer. Thought it would be easier for everyone if we didn't look totally alike." He happily pulled at the small ponytail he now sported. He also wore a new shirt with a red collar like his old one, but this one had a white top with silver lining that went down to the bottom of the shirt; the sides of the shirt were black and had blue star-like symbols on each side. He wore bracers like Sora's but his were white and black; his armor now looked slightly different, with a second piece of black and red armor jutting out from below the first. His pants were olive-brown cargo pants; but he still wore the same old shoes.

"Yeah."

Riku looked over at Ven. The boy reminded him so much of Sora.

"Riku." Terra came over, smiling warmly. He too had longer hair and wore a different outfit. He still wore the same old shoes and undershirt, but his armor only sat on his shoulder. A top that matched his pants in color, completed the Hakama he wore. Over that, he wore a robe that draped over his left side; it looked like the same robe Master Eraqus wore. Part of his armor covered the navy and gray obi around his waist, and a leacher guard, bound up by red leather straps covered his lower right arm.

He looked like a master.

"Hey Terra."

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright. Just worried about Kairi."

The older master nodded. "I bet."

"Is there any word from her?"

"No."

Aqua sighed. "I'd hoped we get back in time to hear something."

She too looked different. Her hair hung down to the small of her back now. Under a blue qipao she now wore, her armor sat on a skin-tight navy sleeve. On her left arm, the navy sleeve was covered by a puffy white sleeve. She wore the same shorts and a black and purple sash around her waist. Instead of the boots she used to wear, she now wore the boots from her armor(2).

Mickey sighed. "We have no way to contact her, sadly."

"So," Naminé asked, "did you find anything in the Realm of Darkness?"

"It was weird." Ven crossed his arms.

"For a while, we saw no Heartless at all." Terra sighed. "Then, we started catching glimpses of small creatures following us."

Shuddering slightly, Aqua nodded. "I started hearing whispers. Terra and Ven didn't hear them, but I did. I could sometimes make out what they were saying, but it was always just a word or two, and nothing really coherent."

"Did the creatures have red fingers?"

"Yes, but how did you know that?"

Riku narrowed his eyes. "A few nights ago, we had a storm. I saw a man in a black coat by the woods. I went after him and found myself in the dark with a bunch of creatures. I only saw one completely, but just for a moment, but I did see red fingers. They grabbed my legs at one point. I think they were Heartless, but they were talking, mocking me. I only know of one Heartless that could talk, and he's gone now."

"Think they were the same things we saw?" Ven asked, cocking his head curiously.

"Maybe," Aqua mused, "but we still don't know what they are. And if Riku saw someone in a black coat, they could be behind them."

Lea tapped his chin. "It could be a surviving member of the thirteen darknesses. A number of them were Nobodies who could've come back."

"Maybe. They never spoke, but the creatures did seem to be on their side."

"Well, I could search the computer for something." Pence said. "Once the update is done at least; Ienzo is installing a new security program for our computer. It's an extention of Tron; he called it Beck(3). When it's done installing, I'll search."

"Sounds good, Pence."

Riku looked down at the floor.

If those things were Heartless, why could they speak?

What were they…?

* * *

Kairi stepped into her bedroom, shaking the remaining shower water from her hair. Chirithy sat on the bed, reading a book loaned to him by Alexis.

"Chirithy…"

"Yes."

"I-I'm sorry for earlier. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

The dream eater looked up at her. "I forgive you. I know you were angry and under a lot of stress, so I'm not mad. Wanna talk about it?"

Kairi slipped under the covers of her bed as her friend hopped onto her knees. "Frustrated, I guess. Cat told me not to go to the library all week, and to let others do the work for me. I feel helpless just doing nothing to look for Sora. And then Yozora had the gall to blame me for things going wrong."

"I don't blame you for being frustrated," he sat down, "but I agree with Cat. You've been burying yourself in that library to escape the fact that things aren't moving as fast as you hoped. We will find Sora, but it might take a little time. You should take some time to rest your mind. Sora wouldn't want you to destroy yourself mentally and emotionally."

"I know. I've also been frustrated that our dream plan isn't working. I can't remember anything."

Chirithy hopped up. "I actually had an idea for that. Messing with other people's dreams might be the issue, you need to work your way up to that. So, what if we focused on your dreams. You have memories buried in your heart that you don't remember, so what if we practiced remembering dreams, by remembering parts of your past?"

Her past?

Kairi's past was full of memories and pain, but if she had to face her own pain to find Sora, so be it.

"Let's do it."

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) The group name given to Noctis, Prompto, Gladius, and Ignis from FF15.

(2) These outfits are from the KH4 redesigns I gave the wayfinder trio. The pictures of these outfits can be found on my twitter or tumblr.

(3) Beck is the main character of the show "TRON: Uprising". He was a program who trained under Tron and becomes the System Monitor of the Grid.

* * *

_VAs: _

_Frode Thorn- __Keith Silverstein (Ougai Mori, Masayoshi Shido, Arsene Lupin III, En)_


	14. Chapter 14

**Dark Road has me HYPED! I love the four new characters already! Can't wait to see what happens!**

**Kingdom Hearts © Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners! **

* * *

**Chapter 14: A Broken Promise**

* * *

Kairi sat on the edge of her bed, looking down at her hands. "I hate to say it, I don't remember much."

"Not a problem." Chirithy hopped across the bed. "Just tell me what you do remember."

Laying back on the bed, Kairi closed her eyes. "I remember… Xehanort. He was standing over me; I couldn't move. He said: 'One of the princesses here in this world. Who would have guessed?' He reached down and grabbed my arm. I heard voices calling my name as he dragged me away. The last thing I remember is Xehanort saying: 'Perhaps, I can test a few of my theories on you.'"

Chirithy nodded. "That sounds scary."

"Did you see the whole dream?"

"I did."

Kairi sighed. "Why can't you just tell me what happened?"

"Because then you wouldn't be remembering what happened, and that's the goal."

Ugh! He's right.

She needed to remember things herself. "I need to figure out who was calling my name. So, let's do this again tonight."

"Yep," the dream eater patted her hand, "but you made progress! You remembered something!"

"Yeah. Finally, some progress."

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Kairi, you awake?"

The girl sat up. "Yeah. What's up, Alexis?"

"Get dressed, you can dress casual. Minister Hoshiko will meet you and the boys outside the dorms in an hour."

"Thank you, Alexis." She stood up, dressing herself in a simple outfit. "I don't want to see Yozora again… he was such a jerk yesterday."

Squeak. Shadow and Bubbles appeared on the bed. The dream eater bat fluttered over, landing on her shoulder. He rubbed up against her face, trilling happily.

"I think he's trying to tell you that it'll be alright. Aegis probably whipped him into shape." Chirithy hopped onto Bubble's back as the meow wow hopped over. "It'll be fine. If you and Aegis patched things up, you and Yozora can too."

The princess snorted. "I wouldn't say Aegis and I patched things up. More like we work together because he wants to keep his job. But at least he isn't trying to kill me anymore."

"It's progress."

Progress.

Kairi hurried down to the entrance of the dorms. She paused. "Yozora…"

"You." Yozora leaned against the wall, looking at the girl.

She took a breath, walking over to him, forcing a smile. "So, how are you this morning?"

"Calmer than yesterday. I said some things I shouldn't have yesterday."

And?

No apology?

No apology.

"So, what are we doing today?"

Sighing, the prince closed his eyes. "It's something for PR and for the ball in four months. Last time Hoshiko took us to do something like this, we tasted food for a banquet and picked the dishes we liked best. The time before that, we did a PR stunt with a Tin Pin Slammer(1). She likes to get us outside to show our faces around."

"Well, it might be fun."

"Doubt it." Aegis and Magia walked over, one smiling, one not.

A limo pulled up in front of the door and Hoshiko stepped out. "Hello!" The four stepped toward the limo as a woman with glasses and long blonde hair got out of the drivers seat. "I hope you're ready to have a wonderful day! Kairi, I'd like you to meet my chauffer, Mitsuki(2)."

"Pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Kairi smiled. "Minister, what are we doing today?"

The woman smiled. "Remember, just Hoshiko. And, I'll tell you on the way. Everyone in."

Kairi slid in beside the minister with the boys sliding in after her. Hoshiko folded her hands in her lap. "So, how have things been?"

"Eh…"

"Alright."

"Ok."

"That bad, huh?" Hoshiko bit her lip. "Well, today might make things better, or at least give you a mental break to have some fun. Today, we're going to meet Serendipity(3); she's a fashion designer. She will be creating some outfits for the ball for each of you, and you'll be in the next edition of her magazine." She patted Yozora's hand. "We want to make sure that the prince is seen as more than the military commander, but as a warm human being. So, we have to get his face out there in different ways."

Fashion?

Kairi hadn't done something like this since the junior high fashion show she and Selphie put together. It could be fun.

And it would get her mind off Sora, and maybe they'd all have fun.

* * *

"Minister Hoshiko! It's a pleasure to see you!"

"The pleasure is mine, Sera!"

A young woman with glasses and lavender hair pulled into pigtails bounced over Kairi and the others. "People call me Miss Serendipity, but you can call me Sera!"

Hoshiko giggled. "Sera, this is Prince Yozora, Aegis, Magia, and Princess Kairi."

Why the princess thing again?

"Princess!?" Sera grabbed Kairi's hands. "A princess!? Where are you from?"

"I'm from an island far away."

Sera bounced excitedly. "A princess from a far away land. And a name that reminds one of the sea! And yet you have red hair!"

"Um," the minister laughed, "we do need to prepare for the photoshoot."

"Oh yeah!" Sera bounced away, "Follow me!"

They walked down a hallway lined with black satin curtains, a runway stood at the end of the massive hall. But they went into a small door at the back. A room full of mirrors and a large room lined with clothes.

Kairi began to get excited, thoughts of getting all dressed up brought her back to simple times.

Times when all she had to care about was grades, friends, or if Sora would get the courage to ask her to a school dance.

She could only laugh as Sera dragged Aegis away, throwing clothes into his arms. And he had no choice but to do as she said. When he came out in the simple but stylish outfit, topped off with a mahogany leather coat, he looked a little pleased. Maybe he was enjoying it a little more than he let on.

"You look good, Aegis!"

"Your turn!" The designer dragged off Magia, who looked much more thrilled than the other two.

"You're happy."

"I enjoy looking good. I can't design anything, but I do like to look good." It was like a quick change, as he was in and out of the dressing room, though he wasn't totally dressed. He stepped out, still putting on the button-up shirt. For just a moment, Kairi caught the glimpse of a red flower tattoo on his left arm.

Magia had tattoos. Who knew?

Then went Yozora, dragged away. If he was a person who kicked and screamed, he would've been kicking and screaming.

"Don't worry you're princely-ness, I'll give you a great outfit, one that's not dark and gloomy."

This would be good. Kairi had only seen the young man in black and other dark colors.

Her mouth dropped open as he stepped out in a soft blue knitted coat with a blue plaid scarf.

Simple. Soft. And yet… it fit. Somehow, it seemed to really suit the normally dark-clothed prince.

Yozora's silver eye seemed to shimmer. He liked it. Kairi cocked her head slightly. If this was the look he seemed to like, why didn't he dress more like this?

"Alright, Princess!" Sera giggled, taking Kairi's hands. "Your turn!" Kairi followed her into the dressing room. "So, do you want a dress or pants?"

Kairi walked over to the rack of clothes, she ran her hand along a soft pink dress. "I wore a dress like this before… to a dance at school."

"Want to wear it again?"

"No." Sora's face flashed in her mind. "You're the fashionista. You pick."

As Sera picked out some clothes, tossing her pastel purple jeans, she prattled on. "By your outfit, I assume you like pink, and pink does go great with your red hair. But, I'll design something for the banquet in a few months that's super special."

"Thank you."

"You have a prince, Princess?"

"Kinda." Kairi bit her lip as she put on the jeans and a pale-yellow tank top. "He's not a prince, but I love him deeply."

Sera handed her a pastel pink and purple letterman jacket. "Well, he's your prince. What's his name?"

"Sora."

"Sora. I bet he's a handsome man."

"He is." A plastered smiled appeared on her face, hiding the emotions that welled up within. She'd wanted to not think about Sora today!

Magia grinned as Kairi came out. "Looking good girl!"

"Thanks."

* * *

"Great!"

A selkie named Belle(4) brushed a strand of brown hair behind her ear as she snapped another picture of Yozora. "Doing great, but please smile more. Pretend you're wooing a lovely lady! Smile!"

"This is the best you're getting."

Kairi watched with a long sigh, her fake smile dropping. "Princess?" Sera tapped her shoulder. "Could you come with me please?"

"Sure." Following the woman into a dressing room, Kairi looked around, piles of fabric, paper, and finished clothes lay in heaps around the room.

"Sorry, this is my study-slash-workroom-slash-lounge-slash-my temporary bedroom when I'm working so hard that I lose track of time and end up having to sleep here on the sofa." She grabbed a measuring tape. "I'd like to get your measurements so I can make your dress for the ball."

Kairi stepped up onto a small box as the designer began to measure, chattering on and on as she did so.

"So, this Sora boy, will he be at the ball?"

"No."

"Why not? I mean, what's the point of getting a gorgeous dress like the one I'll give you if you're not going to get to show it off to your honeybun!? But whatever. So, is he a soldier? Is he tall? Is he hot? What's he like?"

Kairi closed her eyes. "He's not a soldier. He's just a little taller than me. He's sweet, kind, heroic…"

"Aw! I'd love to meet him one day! He sounds sweet!"

Kairi bit her lip. What could she say?

The designer stopped, looking up at the girl's face. "Oh no!? Did I say something?" She gasped. "Oh, don't tell me it's a one-sided crush and I just put my foot in my mouth!?"

"It's not…" Kairi started.

"Did he break up with you!? Oh no!"

"No…" Kairi pulled back, stepping down from the step. "H-he's gone."

Sera, finally, had nothing to say. Her mouth hung open. "Oh."

Yeah.

The princess pulled back. "I need some air." She hurried out of the room, looking around until she saw a pair of balcony doors. Her feet carried her out onto the balcony, where she slumped down, facing the doors.

Her face scrunched up, holding back the tears. Just one day. One day to not be reminded of Sora…

The doors swung open as Yozora stormed out. He slammed them before sitting against them, staring at Kairi. "You too, huh?"

"Yeah. She wouldn't stop talking about Sora…"

"They kept saying to smile to make sure I find a wife. It's not bad enough that women from all around the world start arriving tomorrow. I have three months to pick someone to be my wife."

"At least you get a choice in the matter."

"That's what Magia and Aegis keep saying."

"But you don't want to marry anyone."

Yozora shook his head. "I hate this." He looked up at her. "And you're right, I don't want to marry anyone… anyone else. Anyone but her, but she's gone now." He laughed dryly. "I loved her…"

"I'm sorry. I wish I could help."

"Honestly, Kairi, I feel like you're the only one who understands, even a little, what I'm dealing with. And, I'm sorry I said those things yesterday. I don't really blame you… I just didn't know what else to say. I'm tired."

Kairi leaned her head back, staring up at the sky. "Me too."

Silence.

"So, if you have to choose, what kind of women will be there?"

"Daughters of kings, princes, noblemen. Probably from all over the world. I know a girl from the Saharan Empire is coming tomorrow, as is someone from China. But they're not her."

Kairi pulled her knees to her chest. "Remember when I told you my story? I mentioned that there was a time I forgot all about Sora, or mostly forgot. I could remember bits and pieces, and I was the only one. No one else seemed to know he was ever there, not even his own mother. But I remembered something. Tell me, what do you remember about her?"

Yozora leaned his head back, closing his eyes, the barest hint of a real smile on his lips. "We grew up together. She was beautiful, kind, loving, but also mischievous. We could get away with virtually anything sometimes. There was one time she dangled a rope out of the castle window that had a knot tied at the end. We took turns climbing down to the knot and swinging on the rope, hundreds of feet in the air, with nothing but the city below us… at least until our parents found out. We were so busted that day." He smiled, a real smile. She had brown hair, like the color of milk chocolate." He gasped, his hand going to his mouth. "I… remembered. I couldn't recall that… She had brown hair!" His smile widened. "I remember."

"Just like me with Sora."

"Just like you with Sora…" He smiled, looking at her. His silver eye held both joy and sorrow, and even his red eye seemed less red, and held more emotion than normal. "I remember, when we were kids. I made a promise to her. We grew up, knowing what our destinies were: for her to die and me to merge with evil. So, she made me promise that I wouldn't fall in love with her."

Kairi's hands clenched. She could almost feel the paopu fruit that she and Sora shared in her hands. She could see his face in her mind.

"I broke that promise. And she did too." His gaze met Kairi's. "Did you love Sora?"

"More than anything." Water pooled in the corners of her eyes. "We promised each other… He said he'd keep me safe. And I said I'd keep him safe. In the end, we both broke our promises too."

Yozora's eyes darted away. "I see… Kairi, do you believe that destiny is set in stone? Are we slaves to its will, or can we change it?"

"I think, we can change it. Sora did. I died, all of our friends died too, and yet he did the impossible. He reset time and brought our friends back, and then he went and brought me back too. And isn't that what I'm trying to do now, bring Sora back from death… I don't think destiny is ever left to chance, but that destiny is what we make it. In the end, it's up to us."

The prince let out a long sigh before looking up at the sky. "If that's the case, I want to change my destiny. No. I will change my destiny. Mine and hers."

Could they?

Kairi still wondered. Was she strong enough? Yozora was. He could change his destiny, but could she…?

"We better get back in there before they send a search party." The prince sighed, standing up. "Let's get this PR stunt out of the way and get back to changing our destinies."

"Yeah…"

If she could.

* * *

_Sora sat beside the star, his faded form staring around him. Like last time, he'd managed to hang onto some kind of form, but this time there were no pieces of him to pull himself back together. _

_He wondered if Kairi was still holding him in this state. _

_"__Hey," he looked over at the star, "did you love Yozora?" _

_"__I did." She sighed before letting out a dry laugh. "It's kind of funny. When one grows up knowing they will die, and knowing that their best friend will be the one to kill them, they do strange things. I made Yozora promise to never fall in love with me. And I promised never to fall in love with him. To make the destiny we bore more bearable. But in the end, we broke that promise, both of us." _

_Sora sighed. "I promised I'd protect Kairi, but I broke that promise too. At least she's safe now… but.." _

_"__But what?"_

_"__She promised to protect me too." He laid down on the floor, sending ripples everywhere. "I hope she's not beating herself up over breaking that promise to me. I broke my promise first, and what happened to me wasn't her fault. I knew what would happen, and I did it anyway." _

_"__You loved her…" _

_"__Yeah." Sora's eyes closed, a frown decorating his face. "I'm a hypocrite you know. I told someone 'A real leader knows that destiny is beyond his control and accepts that'. Yet, right after, I fight to bring Kairi back from the dead. You talk about your and Yozora's destiny. I wonder… is it our destiny, Kairi's and mine, to be apart. Every time I find her again, she slips away. And, all I want now is to fight destiny, to be by her side forever. But… I don't know if that's even possible." _

_"__Sora…" _

**_"_****_And isn't that what I'm trying to do now, bring Sora back from death…"_**

_Sora sat up. "Kairi!?" His eyes darted about looking for the source of the voice. _

**_"_****_I don't think destiny is ever left to chance, but that destiny is what we make it. In the end, it's up to us."_**

_"__Kairi…" _

_"__You hear that, Sora. She hasn't given up. And neither should you." _

**_"_****_If that's the case, I want to change my destiny."_**

_The star gasped. "Yozora…?" _

**_"_****_No. I will change my destiny. Mine and hers."_**

_The star began to glow. "Yozora…!"_

_Sora stared in awe as the star shifted, taking a new form. It grew and changed. Until no longer a star stood before him. _

_But the hollow, clear, like him, figure of a young woman with hair that fell past her shoulders, wearing a long dress. She looked down at herself, eyes wide. "I-I have a body?" _

_"__I think… Yozora doesn't want to let you go just yet." _

_"__Just like Kairi won't let you go." _

_Sora closed his eyes._

_Just maybe, destiny is in their hands. "Kairi, I'm here. I'll be waiting…"\_

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) This is a mini-game and element in "The World Ends With You".

(2) She looks like and is based on the TWEWY character, Mitsuki Konishi.

(3) Serendipity is the goldsmith guildmaster from "Final Fantasy XIV".

(4) Belle is a character from "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers"

* * *

_VAs: _

_Mitsuki- __Lara Cody (Mitsuki Konishi, Yuki Sasamori, Yueying, Sheeta, Kei, Pepper) _

_Serendipity- __Heather Hogan (Queen, Shiki Misaki, Kokoro Miyuki Itsumi)_

_Belle- __Laura Bailey (Belle, Tohru Honda, Fiona, Lucina, Rise Kujikawa, Lust) _


	15. Chapter 15

**So, this is a short chapter, but I've been super hyped for it!**

**And now I've got to finish this story before the KAIRI GAME comes out! KAIRI GAME! KAIRI GAME!**

***clears throat* **

**Well, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix! **

**Yú and my OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Lineage**

* * *

In a deep dark room, a figure sat at a desk, staring at feed from a security camera. He paused the camera on the image of a figure.

"This girl. Will she help us or hinder us?"

"Weeeeeeell," a man dressed in a long black coat tapped his hooded head, "yes."

"Yes?"

"She'll be a bit of both. But, we can't get rid of her yet." He struck a pose. "As I always say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer!"

The figure in the chair sighed as he looked at the red-haired girl on the screen. "I hope you're right.

He picked up a phone and dialed in a number. "Hello… yes the plan is still in motion. Gather who and what you can and get to Tokyo. I will make contact in person soon."

As he hung up the phone, the man in the coat clapped his hands. "Wow, you're really working that 'sinister baddie that lurks in the shadows' vibe. Didn't think you had that in you. I guess I taught you well."

"You didn't teach me anything."

"What!?" The man dramatically put a hand to his chest. "It wounds me so that you would say something so cruel! And after I did so much for you!"

"You've done nothing for me but tell me about this girl."

"And it's helped!"

"What's so important about her anyway?"

The man crossed his arms, his eyes glinting beneath his hood. "She hold the key to me reaching my goal."

"And what goal is that?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"

* * *

Kairi slumped over at the breakfast table, drinking a cup of tea. Her dreams last night yielded no results. She'd been so happy yesterday, making up with Yozora and then having an actual good time with the photo shoot.

"Good morning."

"Oh, good morning, Zoraida."

The cleric slid into the seat next to her. "How are you doing, Kairi?"

"Alright… what are you doing here today? I thought you would be doing magic training with Yozora."

"I was," she smiled, "but he wasn't able to concentrate. He is meeting two girls today. Wáng Xià from China and Njinga Otieno from the Saharan Empire. He's not thrilled. Actually, he looks about as upset as you do. Any reason why you both look sad?"

Kairi shook her head. "Not sure. I was so happy and confident yesterday, and he was too. Not sure why I feel so down."

"Well, if you had an emotional high last night, you're probably having an emotional crash." She picked a piece of bacon from Kairi's plate. "You and I were supposed to train with Alexis today, but if you're not in a good mood, why don't we get you out of the base? We can go on a patrol shift and walk the town."

Kairi shrugged. "Sure. Whatever..."

* * *

Alexis, Zoraida, and Kairi walked out into the streets. Kairi looked up at the 104. "I haven't been back there in a while."

"Yeah, we went to the movie theater there last week, but you didn't go since you've missed the last few girls' nights." Alexis smiled sadly. "Lucky has threatened to drag you to the next girls' night whether you like it or not."

"I wouldn't put it past her."

"Me neither." Kairi sighed. "I guess I will be joining you guys Friday. I've just been way too mentally exhausted to go."

"It would do you some good to relax a little more."

"So I've heard."

They approached the same temple Kairi met Zoraida at. "Is that the Divine Decem?"

"That's right." Zoraida giggled. "It's been a while since you've been back here."

Kairi saw other clerics standing outside the temple, handing out food and drinks to kids on the street. Children ran around in all directions, playing with jump ropes, hula hoops, and balls. Some children played hopscotch all around the temple.

"What's that about?"

"There are a lot of kids that play around here, and we watch over them when their parents are out at work; we offer them free childcare, and there's actually a magical barrier here that keeps the kids from running off without an adult. So, we give out snacks and drinks to the kids, help them with their homework, and well, anything else we can do." The cleric pushed a curly strand of hair out of her face. "Oh, there's a new child. We usually get the same group of kids, but I see a new face." The three walked over to the group of kids snacking on crackers, apples, and oranges, sipping on paper cups full of lemonade. "Hello kids!"

"Hi!"

The children all smiled as the cleric knelt down. "Are you all having a good day?"

"Yes!"

"And who is this new face?"

A little girl with a straight bob haircut reminiscent of pink lemonade in color poked her head up. She dusted cracker crumbs off her purple shirt and pale blue dress. "Um, hello."

Zoraida smiled. "What's your name?"

"Wáng Yú. I came to visit Tokyo with my big sis."

"Wáng Yú?" Zoraida tapped her chin. "Your big sister wouldn't be Wáng Xià would she?"

The girl perked up, her slate gray eyes blinking. "How do you know that?

"Well, she's meeting with Prince Yozora today, and we all know him. I help him with magic training, Alexis here is his second in command, and Kairi is on his military squad."

Yú's eyes widened. "You're in the military!?" She scampered closer. "That's so cool! I wanna be a fighter someday like the people in movies! But…" She kicked the ground. "I'm the emperor's niece, and Māma says I have to be a proper lady, like a princess. I can't be a princess and a fighter."

"That's not true." Kairi gently pushed past Zoraida, kneeling down in front of the girl. "You know, I'm a princess too."

"You are!?"

"Yes." Kairi never liked throwing around the title of princess, but she felt like it was applicable here. "I'm one of seven girls known as the Princesses of Heart. And I'm a fighter. See." She held out her hand, summoning Shadow's Strike.

"Wow!" All the kids got up and gathered around, but Yu stared at the weapon, completely in awe.

She reached out her small hand. "May I hold it?"

"Sure." Keeping one hand on the blade in case it was too heavy, Kairi let the little girl grab the handle. Yú's fingers closed around it before she pulled back slightly, looking at her hand. "Something wrong?"

"Is it magic?"

"Yes."

"Oh, nevermind then." She reached back out and grabbed it, her little face looking up at Kairi. "Do you think I can be like you one day?"

"Well-"

CRASH!

A car slammed into a building as the ground began to shake.

"Gigas!" Alexis drew her axe. "Kids! Get inside the temple!"

Kairi switched out her keychains for Destiny's Embrace. Her rifle would be no good here. Zoraida swirled her staff, covering the temple in a magical barrier, "I'll cover you two."

"Alright."

Kairi ran in, throwing her Keyblade at the legs of a blue giga that began stomping down the road. She hit the joint, causing it to stagger as Alexis leapt up, driving her axe into the cockpit.

"How many are there?"

"Five."

The older woman drove the axe in further, until the giga sparked, smoke coming from all openings. She jumped back just before it exploded. "Make it four. Kairi, you've told me about that attack that can take on many enemies. If we can keep the collateral damage low, think you can do it?"

"Yeah."

"Z! Cast barriers around as many buildings as possible. I'll keep the debris under control."

Kairi felt her body tense. This was her ace, the one thing she knew that would work well and that she could do.

"Kairi now!"

Focusing all her magic, Kairi leapt into the air, the magic carrying her higher than normally. She spread her arms. Dozens of magic spheres appeared in the air around her before they rained down upon the gigas, Kairi flying down with them(1).

She righted herself, skidding to a stop to turn and see all but one giga laying in a smoking heap, and the last one didn't last long.

"THUNDZA!" Zoraida's spell quickly put that one to an end.

"Well, time to call the clean up crew."

"No kidding."

Kairi dismissed her Keyblade, only to feel two small arms wrap around her leg. "That was the amazingest thing in the whole wide world!" Yú bounced up and down.

"Thanks, but it wasn't really anything special."

"Sure it was." Alexis smirked. "I've never seen an attack like that before. Very few people can take out more than one giga at a time. Though, that attack is pretty big; need to watch where you use it."

"I know." Kairi sat down on the concrete, only for Yú to plop down next to her. "Are you alright, Yú?"

The girl nodded vigorously. "You're so amazing! I wanna be just like you one day."

No you don't.

Kairi couldn't say that out loud and ruin this girl's dream.

"You should aspire to be better than me."

"Someone's better than you? No, I don't believe it." Yu balled her fists, a determined look in her eyes. "One day I'm going to be a fighter just like you! And I'm gonna save people too! And I'll be a princess too!"

Kairi giggled slightly.

"Yú!?" A woman in a nice suit came running over. "Where have you been!? I told you not to leave the hotel!"

"Sorry Lín xiǎojiě(2). I just wanted to come play outside."

Miss Lin crossed her arms. "You cannot go wandering about in a strange country. Come on." She grabbed the girl's arm and the two began to walk away.

Yú turned and waved. "Bye Princess Kairi!"

"Bye, Yú." Kairi waved back, watching as the two walked away.

"Kairi, you should give yourself some more credit." Alexis chided. "You look down on yourself too much. But, despite that, you just inspired someone."

Kairi bit the inside of her lip. "Really? I don't feel like an inspiration."

"You never know what may inspire someone. And who knows, that little girl may go on to do great things."

"Maybe she will…"

As Kairi lay in bed that night, her mind focused on that little girl, even as she drifted off into sleep.

She'd inspired someone? Really?

But, she wondered, who was her inspiration?

…

_"__I picked you some flowers. Thank you for saving me."_

_"__Aw, they're lovely. You're so sweet." _

_"__My name's Kairi, nice to meet you." _

_"__Nice to meet you too, I'm Aqua. Kairi, about that light…" _

_"__Kairi!" _

_"__Oh, Grandma!" _

_"__Wait, Kairi, just a minute." … "I just cast a magic spell on you. One day, when you're in trouble, the light within you will lead you to the light of another. Someone to keep you safe." _

_"__Thanks!" _

…

Was that?

Aqua?

**Ten Years in the Future**

"Great job out there!"

"Thanks!" The girl with pink-orange hair pulled off her goggles before dismissing her Keyblade.

"Hey." Another girl came walking up. "You were awesome, Yú! I was totally wrong about you being some useless princess."

Yú smiled. "It's alright, Hauyn(3). Most people think that at first."

"Why did a princess like you choose to become a warrior anyway?"

The girl smiled, summoning her Keyblade. "It happened when I was a kid." She ran her hand along the blade. "I met someone. A princess and a warrior. Her name was Kairi…"

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Not sure if I'll ever use Yú again, but if you'd like to see more of her, let me know!**

Footnotes: 

(1) This is Kairi's shotlock, Heart of a Princess.

(2) This is the Chinese pinyin for 林小姐 which means "Miss Lin".

(3) This is a character from "World of Final Fantasy".

_VAs: _

_Wáng Yú- __Brianna Knickerbocker (Filo, Anna, Elaine, Rem, Kanao Tsuyuri, Wiz)_


	16. Chapter 16

**Dark Road comes out tomorrow!**

**And yes, this chapter came out quickly. I want to finish this fic BEFORE Memory of Melody comes out. So, don't be surprised if I start pushing chapters out quicker than before.**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners. **

* * *

**Chapter 16: Just a Milk Run**

* * *

Roxas threw down his backpack. "Can't we just skip school while everyone is here?"

"Not on my watch."

"Isa, you're no fun!"

"No, I'm the only mature adult that lives in this house."

"Hey!" Lea glared. "I resemble that remark."

"I know." Isa sat in his chair, one hand holding a book, the other scratching Kosho behind the ears. "But you kids still have school. And there's not much point in you staying here all day. The computer is processing all day. Right now, it's updating information we've gathered."

Ven lay on the couch, quietly napping until Hayner dropped his backpack onto the boy's stomach. "We just feel useless, Isa!"

"We all do." Riku sighed. "Right now, we just have to figure out how to make the return gate for Sora and Kairi, but other than that, we can't do anything."

Ven shoved the backpack onto the floor. "What was that about, Hayner!?"

"Sorry, didn't see you there."

Mickey chuckled as the sleepy boy yawned. "You've been napping all day."

"I'm tired. I haven't been sleeping well since Chirithy left. Nightmares…"

"Oh…"

"Hey guys," Terra game jogging in from the library, "the computer is doing something."

"Something?"

The young man huffed. "I don't know computers! I don't know what it's doing."

Isa closed his book and stood up. "Weren't you Ansem's apprentice, or kind of his apprentice?"

"I don't remember those days. That was Xehanort in control."

Everyone walked down to the computer. Aqua held her gummi phone in her hand, looking at the computer screen. "Do you think this will work?"

"_It's our best bet to get them home safely._"

"What's going on?"

Ienzo's voice piped up from the phone. "_Well, using the data we gathered from Kairi's heart, we believe we can triangulate her position in that other worldline. This way, when we figure out how to open a gateway back to our own worldline, we will know where she is." _

Hayner crossed his arms. "Ok, but how will we know when they're ready to come home?"

"_That,_" Even said, "_is where things get a little… well_."

"_Using this system_," Ansem the Wise explained, "_we think we can also connect to her heart, and actually see things that her heart sees. Basically, we can see exactly what she sees, where she is, and what is happening. If it works._"

Goofy scratched his head. "Um, but wouldn't that be spying? We could accidently see things that Kairi wouldn't want us to. And she didn't give us permission."

"_And that is where our issue lies. Unless we can get her permission, we would be prying into her heart and situations. Now, it might not even work, but we have to test it first, but again, that does bring up the privacy issue_."

Naminé shook her head. "I don't like it. I can see into people's hearts and memories and it's an intrusion of privacy. I don't think we should test it."

"But it could be their only way back…"

"I say we put it to a vote." Isa suggested. "If it works, we can then figure out how to contact Kairi and get full permission. So, all those for testing it, raise your hands…"

* * *

Kairi sneezed.

"Wonder if someone's talking about you?" Lucky laughed.

"Huh?"

"When you sneeze, that means someone is talking about you somewhere."

"Well, I hope they're saying nice things." Kairi stopped by the medical center doors. "Thanks again for letting me join you guys last minute last night."

Lucky waved a hand. "Don't mention it, girlie! We were happy to have you."

Kairi smiled and walked into the medical center, only to nearly run into Cat. "Oh, Cat, I was just coming to see you."

"Oh yeah," the nurse shook her head, "I knew I was forgetting something. Look, I'm sorry, but we'll have to cancel this week. Something's come up." She pushed past the girl and out the door.

"Catalina!" Atlas came jogging out just as his wife left. "Of course… oh, Kairi. Kairi! Can you do me a favor?"

"What favor?"

"Can you go with Cat? She just kinda ran out, and I have a surgery in fifteen minutes I have to get to. I don't want her going out alone."

Kairi cocked her head to the side. "Uh, sure. Where is she going?"

"She'll have to explain on the way, just catch up before she leaves." He turned around and went back into the back.

Strange.

What was Cat doing?

Kairi hurried downstairs, spotting Cat just as she hailed a cab. "Cat!" The nurse stopped as the girl ran over. "Wait. I'm coming too."

"Did my husband put you up to this? Seriously, it's practically a milk run. Nothing dangerous."

"Well, he asked me to come, so I'm coming."

The nurse laughed. "Fine."

The two got into a cab and rode off. "Where are we going anyway?"

"You came after me and have no idea where I'm going? Wow." Cat chuckled dryly. "We ran out of a vaccine we need. Or, we will run out soon. There's a place in San'ya(1) where I can get some."

Kairi blinked. "Why can't you just order some normally?"

"Because this vaccine is legally owned and produced by the District of Colombia, and since they're in a war and a hostile takeover is probably happening soon, they aren't shipping any. We need this. When the seasons change, a virus tends to pop up; this virus caused a world-wide pandemic years ago(2). We usually send in a massive order about this time, but since we can't get any…"

"Oh…"

Kairi bit her lip. This was serious. "So, where are we going to get some."

"I have… a friend that can get some for us."

A friend?

Cat didn't speak the rest of the drive. Soon, they reached an area full of more simple houses, covered in signs that advertised "free-wifi", "color-tv", "magical being allowed". It looked like a bunch of cheap hotels aimed at people who just wanted somewhere inexpensive to stay.

The two got out of the cab near a set of stores. "Kairi, do you know what the Yakuza is?"

"Yakuza?"

"Crime syndicates here in Japan. They're semi-legal organizations, and they are more than just street thugs; they have large companies sometimes and do help with humanitarian efforts."

Kairi glanced around at all the people. "Crime syndicates? Will they attack us?"

"No, they know me around here, so they won't mess with us."

"Is your 'friend' part of the Yakuza?"

"Yes." Cat walked up to a drugstore. She pointed to a symbol displayed on the outside; a circle with wheat in it, and a symbol Kairi didn't recognize. "This is the symbol of the Inagawa-kai(3) family. This means the business is run and operated by one of theirs." Instead of moving on, Cat pushed the door open and went inside.

A young woman in a black Lolita dress with messy blonde hair sporting black feathers, looked up. "Catty. Been a while."

"Hey Fleurette(4)."

Kairi looked around the store. Shelves lined with medicines, herbs, and various medical supplies lined the walls, but behind the counter, she could see what appeared to be a shake machine, and part of the counter displayed various ice cream flavors. This reminded her of the drugstores back on the islands.

"Who's red?

"This is Kairi." Cat pulled the girl over. "She's a college of mine."

"Ah, military." Fleurette leaned over, checking out the patch on Kairi's uniform. "Oh, on the prince's squad too. Nice." She hopped over the counter. "Name's Fleurette. Nice to meet you." She shook Kairi's hand before turning to the nurse. "So, what do you need?"

Cat handed her a piece of paper. "Four full cases."

"Um," the other woman read the paper, "you do realize this is super hard to get right now?" Cat nodded. "And it will cost you extra?" Another nod. "Alright. I'll take the 500 gil deposit now and get the order in. It should be here in, hopefully about a week."

Cat handed her a bag of money. "Let me know when it gets here."

"Sure." Walking behind the counter, Fleurette dropped the money into a safe with the note. "So, you two want a float or shake before you leave or nah?"

"It's against regulations to have sweets for military members, you know."

"So? Not like I'm gonna tell."

Kairi put up her hand. "I'd like a shake." She walked over, looking down at the flavors. "A coconut one please."

"Gimme a sec."

Kairi wondered why Atlas was so against Cat coming here alone. She seemed fine. Maybe he was just being paranoid.

"Here." Fleurette handed her the shake. "Twenty gil please!" Kairi gave her the money and the two military members headed for the door. "Come back soon!"

The two headed back down the street. "Two questions. One… did we just buy illegally smuggled medicine?"

"Technically no." Cat laughed. "The Yakuza she works for will order it legally, ship it in legally, and then distribute it. Technically, she's liscenced to sell medicine… not official vaccines, but it is medicine. So, loophole."

Kairi took a sip of her coconut shake, trying not to laugh. "Ok then. Question two… Why was Atlas so nervous about you coming here alone?"

"Another Yakuza family has been coming into Tokyo, the Yamajuchi-gumi(5), so there have been some fights between the two in this area. It's away from prying eyes, so it's a good place to fight. My husband worries. I can handle myself; I grew up here." She paused. "Actually, Atlas and I lived just up the street from here when we first married."

"You lived here?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. My family owned a laundromat two blocks from here; my brother actually still owns it." She waved at an old woman who sat on a porch. "Atlas and his girlfriend at the time decided to open a small clinic down here for people who couldn't afford to visit hospitals. He decided to hire locals with some first aid experience to train as nurses."

"Is that how you met?"

Cat nodded again. "I'd patched up a few people in my day. Knife wounds. Bullet holes. So, I took the job. After Atlas and his girlfriend broke up, he and I got to know one another. We dated for a while, then got married. Not long after that we quit the clinic and went to the military."

"Why did you quit?"

"They had no choice." The two turned to see a woman with voluptuous blonde hair wearing a short white dress and tall red boots strut toward them. "Not after what Atlas did."

Cat grit her teeth. "He did what he had to, Holly(6)."

"And killed a child in the process."

What!?

Holly strode up to the nurse, pursing her bright red lips. "If he'd only listened to me, it wouldn't have happened."

"You wanted to turn the child and his mother away!"

"They had no money."

"So what!?"

"They were broke, and the kid got hurt trying to steal something. Just like everyone around here… crooks and thieves."

"Then why are you still here?"

"Some people can pay." Holly pushed a plump lock of hair off her shoulder. "And anyways, humanitarian efforts look good in the newspaper." Her brown eyes turned to Kairi. "I hope you don't get hurt in the army. Or else old butter-knife will accidently kill you operating."

She strode past them, red heels clicking against the concrete.

"Was that…"

"My husband's ex, and the woman still running the clinic? Yes. She got us run out of the area. People still like me, but Atlas can't really show his face around here." Cat leaned against a wall. "That's the real reason he doesn't like me coming here alone; he's afraid someone will take out their anger at him on me. But this is my neighborhood. I grew up here. I know every part of it, from the back alleys to the underground black market."

The way Cat talked about this neighborhood made Kairi think of the islands. How she, Sora, and Riku knew the twists and turns better than anyone. A spark of homesickness pierced her heart.

The coconut milkshake in her hands didn't help.

"Kairi?" Cat stopped in front of her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that, I'm doing counseling with you each week. Something is up."

Dang it…

"The way you were talking just made me miss home."

Cat smiled warmly. "Oh, sorry about that."

"It's fine."

The nurse opened her mouth, about to say something; probably something deep and inspiring. But-

Two hands grabbed their arms, dragging them into an alley. "Get down!"

Gunfire began to ring out down the street.

Kairi looked up at the person who grabbed them. "Lucky!?"

"Hey guys, didn't think I'd see you here."

"What are you doing here!?"

"Black market. Duh. I needed some stuff."

Cat sat up, crawling toward the street, but stopping just before her head poked out. "What's going on?"

"Yakuza. Yamajuchi-gumi guys came in to break up some Inagawa-kai business. Looks like both sides came ready to fight."

Kairi got to her knees. "What do we do?"

"Break it up." Cat reached for her belt, pulling out a metal rod from beneath her coat; it extended to a long pole with thin axe heads on each end. "Try and separate them. Kairi, you have magic, so if you can use it to push them apart, Lucky and I can cover you."

"Yeah!" Kairi gasped as Lucky jumped up, pulling something from inside her jacke- was that a sawed-off-shotgun!? "I haven't seen action in months."

Kairi stood up, summoning her Keyblade. "If you say so. Stay behind me, and I'll do what I can."

BOOM! Explosions and screaming joined the gunfire.

The three ran out onto the streets. Kairi could see the two groups further down the street. But one seemed on the run.

A column of flame pursued them as a figure in a black hoodie, sporting a dragon on the back, held out what looked like a cane. Ice spiraled into existence, scaring off the other group.

"Magic!"

"That's not good."

"What?"

"Kairi, people around here don't know magic, especially that powerful! He might kill someone!" Cat took off down the street. "We need to detain him! Now!" Kairi and Lucky followed her, running at top speed.

The Yakuza saw them coming and began to scatter. The figure, a man by the looks of it, in the hoodie spotted them and took off. He cast an Aero spell, launching himself onto a roof.

"Two can play at that!" Kairi cast the same spell, following him across the rooftops. The figure's long legs and head start kept him ahead of her, but she refused to give up. She cast spells, but he used his own magic to counter hers.

Kairi kept going.

The gap between them closed. Closer and closer.

Suddenly, he stopped, stepping to the side before Kairi could react. His hand grabbed Kairi by the back of her collar, knocking the wind out of her throat as he slammed her to the ground.

"Sleep."

His voice. Just above a whisper.

Kairi's eyes shut, even as she fought to keep them awake. She tried to look, to see his face. But all she saw was his chin and mouth before her eyes defeated her willpower, closing completely.

"Kairi!"

Even in the darkness of sleep, Kairi could hear the voice of Lucky.

The spell faded away as Cat sat the princess up. "Kairi, what did he do?"

"H-he cast Sleep. I'm alright." She stared across the rooftops. No sign of him. "Who was that?"

Cat looked across the roofs. "I don't know. But, he… or she is probably a problem. Remember, our country does not rely on magic, and most people don't use it at all. So, whoever that person is, he or she is probably a mercenary. Or, someone who trained professionally in another country. We need to report this… Did you see their weapon, or something to help us determine their identity?"

"No. Sorry."

Lucky groaned. "Last thing we need is something to escalate this mess with the Yakuza."

"How long has this been going on?"

"A while." Lucky helped Kairi stand. "I was down here for recon. I'm not just a supply manager. I do other jobs, and hey, I get to make some cash in the black market too." She ran a hand through her blue hair. "Let's jut get back and make the stupid report."

"Yeah…"

"You're back!" Atlas coughed, "I mean… I'm glad you're back."

Cat laughed, kissing her husband's cheek. "Don't worry, darling. I was in good hands. I'll head back home. I need a nap."

"Alright." The doctor waited until his wife left before smiling. "Kairi, thank you for taking care of my Catalina. Here." He handed Kairi a pin. "This was something I got in medical school as a surgeon. Consider it a thank you."

Kairi looked at the pin, a small scalpel. "Thanks, and you're welcome. Cat's been a big help to me, so it was nothing."

The doctor waved his hand and stepped away.

Kairi clutched the pin in her hand. Maybe… maybe this could be a keychain for a new Keyblade.

* * *

"Hey Kai!" Stella skipped into the exercise area of the residential building. "Whatcha got there?"

Kairi held up the pin which now dangled from a white cord. "I'm about to try something." She unclipped the current Keychain on her Keyblade and put the pin on.

Her blade flashed white. She and Stella gasped as the Keyblade changed.

The silver pole that made up the shaft of weapon shimmered in the light, reflecting the angel wing that made up the blade and the left side of the guard. Around the shaft wound a golden snake, and a second golden snake made up the right side of the guard. A red cloth wrapped around the handle making for a better grip.

"WHOA!" Stella bounced from foot to foot. "Keyblades do that!"

"Yeah, if I get something of value from another person, I can make it into a Keychain. At least that's what Chirithy said. Atlas gave me this pin…" She closed her eyes. "This Keyblade is named… Hippocratic Oath(7)."

"That is so cool!"

Kairi stood up, swinging the blade. "I wonder if this one can change like the last one." She charged at a training dummy, hacking at it. The Keyblade felt light, but her attacks felt… weaker.

Eventually, she felt the magic building up. "You thought that was cool, Stella. Watch this."

Her Keyblade swirled in a silver light before coming together again.

"EEEEEEE!" Stella squealed. "This is amazing!"

Kairi looked down at the shield in her hands. A large silver shield ringed in golden snakes bore a red cross under a pair of wings.

"Maybe… this Keyblade isn't meant for attacking. When I was attacking, it wasn't doing much damage."

Stella picked up a training sword. "Well a shield means defense, so let's see how it does." She attacked, smacking at the shield. Kairi blocked and then smacked Stella back with the shield.

Again, she felt the magic building up again. "Stand back, Stella!"

The shield deconstructed. Soon, Kairi held a long silver staff, topped with white wings, with golden snakes wrapped around it.

"This is freakin' AWESOME! You're like a healer now!" She gasped. "OOOOOH! Vallis said something like this happened! And you used the stealth dressphere with it. What if we made you a dressphere for each Keyblade!?" She tapped her comlink. "Lucky! Get a blank dressphere and meet me in my office now!" Grabbing Kairi's hand, Stella dragged her off.

* * *

"Try it, girlie!" Lucky laughed, still filling out the report from the day as Stella programmed the dressphere.

Kairi looked down at the white orb in her hands. Milky clouds laced with red swirled inside the orb.

Squeezing it, she felt the object activate.

"Now you match your Keyblade! A healer and protector through-and-through!"

Nearly every part of Kairi's outfit: boots, leggings, coat, shirt, and hat were now white. Red lined her boots, coat, and hat. Her gauntlets were red with white on the bottom with a black band around her wrists(8).

"Well, it works."

"It lets people know you're here to help medically."

Kairi turned her clothes back to normal. "Thanks you two. Kinda reminds me of Sora… his clothes would change when his Keyblade did."

"Huh," Lucky chewed on the end of her pen, "maybe we can ask Zoraida about that."

"Maybe."

Kairi looked down at the orb. Just like Sora…

Was she trying too hard to be like him? Was it even possible to be anything like him?

Maybe it was just a fruitless dream…

Or

Maybe she was trying too hard to be like someone else, and not trying to be herself…

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) San'ya is a former neighborhood in Tokyo know for lower class workers, poverty, and violence. It has recently been split into several neighborhoods and is no longer called San'ya.

(2) Yes, this is based on Covid.

(3) The Inagawa-kai are the third largest Yakuza family in Japan and are based in the Tokyo-Yokohama area.

(4) Fleurette is a character in Dragon Quest IX.

(5) The Yamaguchi-gumi is the largest Yakuza family in Japan. It is based in Kobe.

(6) This is Holly Whyte from Bravely Default.

(7) The Hippocratic Oath is an oath stating the obligations and proper conduct of doctors.

(8) Basically, this is a white mage outfit for Kairi, based on the ones from the Final Fantasy series.

* * *

VAs:

Fleurette- _Elizabeth Maxwell (Sae Nijima, Albedo, Midnight, Caulifla, Jenny Realight)_

Holly Whyte- _Rachel Robinson (Holly Whyte, Judith, Goetia, Oerba Yun Fang, Miwa)_


	17. Chapter 17

**So, Dark Road is out, and the ending of the first chapter is doing the normal Nomura pain and suffering. **

**This is normal. **

**This is normal Nomura.**

**But enough about that!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Dylan, Fitzroy, and my other OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 17: King's Son**

* * *

"Honestly, I can't believe you've managed to stay away from the library for a week and a half."

"I can't believe it either." Kairi sighed.

Aegis smirked as they stepped into the castle elevator. "I must say, showing that much self-control might make one think you're not totally obsessed with this venture."

Ah, another "Aegis Complement".

They walked into the library, only to hear voices on the upper level. "Um, hello?"

"Hey!" Phinehas poked his head out from the level above them. "Get up here you three! Got someone you need to meet!"

"SHHH!"

"Oops…"

Kairi giggled as she and the other two climbed the stairs to the upper level. She saw the normal group of sofas there, on which sat Yozora, King Hayate, and Hoshiko. Two others sat with them.

A man with dark brown hair, dressed in a simple dress shirt and pants with a tie and sweater-vest sat with his arm around Hoshiko. His dark eyes, hidden behind glasses, seemed to smile warmly at the woman beside him.

A young man sat beside him with black hair pulled back into a ponytail; glasses also hid his dark eyes. He even dressed similar, with the dress pants and shirt, though he looked more casual with the sleeves rolled up. He even wore a necktie and a vest as well.

"Oh, is this the girl you spoke of darling?" The brown-haired man spoke with a smooth voice that had some sort of accent that made him sound very regal.

"Indeed, it is." Hoshiko stood up. "Kairi meet my husband, Dylan. Dylan, this is Kairi."

Kairi shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Nice to meet you too. This is our son, Fitzroy." He gestured to the young man who waved shyly.

"Hi. You can call me Fitz."

Hoshiko smiled happily. "They've been over in Britannia for a few months. Actually, Dylan is from Britannia."

"Actually," Dylan walked over and picked up a heavy satchel, "Phinehas said you needed some research materials. Here." He handed her the bag. "This sounds like quite an interesting research project. If you need my assistance, let me know."

Kairi smiled. "Sure!" She turned to Phinehas and giggled. He looked so pleased with himself, like a dog expecting a pat on the head and someone to tell him that he was a good boy. "Thank you, Phinehas."

Dylan smiled softly. "I'm a professor of Magical Literature at Oxford University. Those books are from my professional collection." His eyes glittered excitedly. "Now, may I see it? Your Keyblade?"

"Sure." Kairi summoned the weapon. "This isn't it's base form."

"Hm, so it can change forms? I'd read that was possible, but could you show me?"

Kairi nodded, pulling away the keychain for Hippocratic Oath and putting it into her pocket. She pulled out the keychain for Destiny's Embrace and clipped it on, allowing the weapon to change. "This is it's base form; it's called Destiny's Embrace."

Dylan smiled, gently touching the sword. "Amazing. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would see an ancient weapon like this one."

Kairi switched the keychain back to her newest Keyblade. "I work with a bunch of others who have Keyblades as well. Each weapon is different in power and ability, and they sometimes fit those who wield them."

"Please! Tell me, where are you from? Where are your friends?"

"Can't tell you. Rules."

"Of course, a mysterious group of people would have some sort of rules that makes things difficult. I'll respect that rule then. But that doesn't mean I won't ask you as many questions as possible and take notes on everything." He took out a notebook. "I'm going to write everything. Please join us for dinner tonight. I have so many questions."

"Sure."

Hayate chuckled slightly. "Before that, the other members of the triad and I need to have a discussion with Dylan. Why don't you young people go to the lounge?"

"Sure."

"Going down!" Magia threw his arm around Fitz's shoulders. "Let's go!" The boys, followed by Kairi, went down to the elevator, and down a few floors.

The lounge hadn't changed much from when Kairi had been there the last time. Actually, she hadn't been there since she first met Phinehas.

"Barkeep! How about some cold brew coffee for the group of us!"

"Scratch that. Cold brew for Magia." Aegis huffed. "Water for me, cold Red Viper energy drink for Kairi, seltzer water for Yozora, and lavender chamomile tea for Fitz."

"Aegis," Kairi laughed, "how do you remember all that?!"

"I count how many times each of your drinks a particular thing to determine your favorites." The five of them sat down on a sofa, Aegis adjusting his glasses as he did so. "You drink an average of eight Red Vipers a week, more than anything else but plain water, which you just drink to keep yourself hydrated. I drink nothing but water. Yozora drinks an average of seven seltzers a day. I don't need to tell you how much coffee Magia drinks. And I'm assuming you're the same as always, Fitz, drinking six cups of lavender chamomile tea a day."

"You scare me…"

Fitz breathed out a laugh. "You never change, do you?"

"No."

"Once an arithmomaniac, always an arithmomaniac(1)." Fitzroy smiled over at Kairi. "It's really nice to meet you. Father and I kept getting letters about you from Mother."

"Where have you been this whole time?"

"Britannia. I'm a student at Oxford University. I'm studying both ancient magic and technology. I hope to truly combine them one day. I was trying my hardest to find a way to… save my sister. But, now that she's gone, all I can do is stop it from happening again. I've been told that's what you're trying to do too."

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. I want to rescue someone from beyond the doors and then seal them forever. No more need for a maiden or champion."

Yozora nodded. "Looks like we have the same goal."

"Shut it." Fitz snapped. "I don't want to hear a word from you." The two glared at one another. "I can do this without your help, your highness."

"Look, I know you're mad, but we have the same goal."

"You killed my sister… she isn't coming back."

Yozora leapt to his feet. "You think I wanted to kill her!?"

"Hey!" Magia jumped between the two. "You're both heartbroken. Please… calm down. We all want the same thing."

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. And, I was thinking we could save her too. The maiden."

"Save her?"

"Do you think that's possible?"

"We have to try." Kairi balled her fists. But, for now, I think we should focus on you all remembering her."

Fitz scoffed. "I've tried. Her memory is gone."

Yozora shook his head. "I remembered something about her a few days ago. I remembered that she had brown hair, like your father."

Fitz looked at the prince, studying him for a moment before he blinked. "Wait… you're right." He shook his head. "She had brown hair that fell just past her shoulders." His face lit up. "We can remember her!? Maybe if we fully remember her, rescue is possible."

"That was my thought." Kairi smiled as the bartender brought her the energy drink. "Magia, Aegis, and I talked it over. We want to get this done by the time Yozora has to announce who he will marry. So, we have four months."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Fitz grinned.

Magia took a sip of his coffee. "We should have a team name or something. The 'rescue the dead friends and save the world gang' or something."

"That is a terrible name."

"And the name notion is particularly childish."

_"__That's a dumb name."_

_"__No it's not!" _

Kairi smiled, thinking back to when she, Riku, and Sora had to choose a team name for a festival activity.

_"__I think we should be called the waveriders. It sounds cool." _

_"__Yeah it does… But I have a better idea, Riku! We should call our team the three stars!"_

_"__That's a dumb name." _

_"__No it's not!"_

_"__Yes it is."_

_"__No it's not." _

Kairi laughed to herself. "You know, Sora would always come up with silly names for teams and such. So what if we named our team something like… Team Five Star(2)."

"You know," Fitz laughed, "I get the feeling that my sister used to do something similar."

Yozora smiled. "I get that feeling too."

"Fine." Aegis sighed. "Team Five Star it is…"

"Yeah." Yozora downed the rest of his seltzer. "Now, tell us all about Britannia and what happened there."

"Yeah, got a significant other waiting over there, or did you spend all your time in the library, as usual?"

"Well…"

* * *

Yozora stretched as he stood up. "Well, that was a riveting story. But I have dinner with a guest."

"You mean a date with some chick you don't know."

"Yes."

Aegis rolled his eyes. "Who is it this time?"

"Maeve Tomasson, princess of Ireland."

"Have fun."

"Maybe…"

The prince left, leaving the four alone. Kairi looked over at Fitz. "I have a question. You know Yozora didn't want to hurt your sister, but he d-"

"Didn't have a choice. I know."

"But you're still mad?"

"Wouldn't you be if someone killed your sister?" The young man adjusted his glasses. "Yozora and I were friends. I would play with him and my sister when we were kids. He was like a brother to me in many ways. But, how do I just forgive someone who…?"

Kairi looked at him and saw… a friend.

"You know, not long ago, my friend Riku did something that he regretted. Something terrible, and he tore himself up over it for a long time. But, my friend Sora and I did what we could to help him overcome those feelings." She hugged herself. "And what he did hurt both Sora and I too; actually, it probably hurt the two of us more than others. But we still forgave him, and then we worked to help him forgive himself."

"Forgive himself?"

"What Yozora needs now is not your anger and fear. If you ever want to be friends again, he needs your help and support. You're angry at him, but he's angry at himself too."

Fitz bit his lip. "Your friends, are they friends again?"

"I'd say they're closer. They've always been best friends, but now they're like brothers. Maybe you and Yozora can be close again."

Fitz sighed. "But Riku probably didn't kill someone close to you and Sora."

"No, but he did kidnap a couple of people, try and kill Sora multiple times, work with an evil fairy to destroy many places, and then allowed himself to be possessed by a madman who tried to destroy the universe."

Fitz blinked as Aegis and Magia smirked slightly at his surprised expression. "Oh… yeah…" He breathed out another laugh. "Well, maybe. If your friends could make up after… that, maybe Yozora and I could make up one day."

Kairi smiled to herself. Maybe.

Now she had a team to help get Sora back, and she could help them too.

And, she had these. Her hand opened the bag at her side and looked down at all the books.

All the exhaustion and anger… maybe she could find something here.

But first, as the four of them stood up and went back upstairs, dinner.

* * *

A single man stood atop a building, staring off at the moon.

"So… four months. Four months to make it or break it."

He held up his hands, creating a heart shape around the moon.

"Princess, oh princess what will you do? Will you fall, or will you stand tall? We will see, won't we."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

**Next chapter will… let's just say I'm looking forward to next chapter!**

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) Arithmomania is an expression of obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. People with arithmomania have a strong need to count their actions or objects in their surroundings.

(2) This is a reference to an internet show… I won't say which one.

* * *

VAs: 

Dylan- _Adam Croasdell (Ignis Scientia, Eista, Alfred Pennyworth, MODUS)_

Fitzroy- _Ben Robson (Spiritus, Craig Cody, Kalf, Ray Young, Cole, Lucian, Nero)_


	18. Chapter 18

**I hope you guys are ready for this chapter.**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Miyako and my OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners! **

* * *

**Chapter 18: Proposal**

* * *

Kairi sat between Hoshiko and Magia at the dining table. She took a bite of crab, listening as the others talked around her.

"If I write the definitive book on Keyblades and their wielders, I'll be famous!" Dylan held his fork in the air, eyes glazed over with dreams of academic grandeur.

Fitz laughed. "She's only one person. She probably doesn't know everything."

"Then we can learn it at the same time as her!"

Kairi giggled. He was so excited.

Hayate shook his head with a smile. "I'm glad you're excited, Dylan, but we do have other things we need to talk about." He took another bite of food. "Such as the LLE. They're back."

"Of course… With the prince coming of age, them coming back was to be expected. They want to deal with the door before the line continues on. What's surprising about that?"

Aegis leaned back in his chair. "They have a giga, a giga they can use and control."

Dylan and Fitz stopped. "What!? That shouldn't be possible."

"Trust me, we know. It was such a shock that Frode took over Yozora for a short time out of shock. Even the evil mastermind was surprised."

Aegis nodded. "And our continued surveillance has shown they are gathering weapons, supplies, members, and parts of destroyed gigas. We think they're trying to rebuild them and make an army, or at least a set of tanks to charge the door with."

"That's bad."

"The question is, how did they get control of them." Fitzroy tapped his fork against his plate. Each clink against the porcelain echoing around the room. "Perhaps it's the AI. Anax may be part of the great evil, but it's still a computer program. Perhaps someone or a team of people was able to hack into it. Have there been an increase in giga attacks recently?"

"Here? No. But I can have General Aiko ask others around the world."

"If there's been an increase, they might be testing the AI system, if they somehow managed to take control of it."

Dylan nodded. "Fitzroy and I can look into this for you if you want."

"Thank you."

The table fell into silence again.

"So," Kairi spoke up for the first time, "how did you and Dylan meet, Hoshiko?"

The minister smiled. "He came here years ago to complete his doctorate degree."

"That's right. While Japan does not use much magic, they do have records of magic and are surrounded by other magic-using countries. And the best library is here in the tower. So, I came and met this lovely young lady in the library. We sat across the room from each other for days; me, surrounded by piles of historical and magical texts, and her, surrounded by books of poetry. Hoshiko is a poet, you know."

"I didn't know that."

Hoshiko giggled. "I don't publish my poems. They're my creative outlet for my emotions. But yes, that's where we met. We could sit and talk literature for so long. And while I'm not much for the historical literature, magical literature is an art of its own. Spells are usually written in poetic ways, and some are even sung, so there is a beauty in them that I find most amazing. We bonded over that." Dylan reached over, laying his hand atop hers. "It wasn't easy for us. My parents weren't too thrilled about me marrying a foreigner, and his weren't too thrilled about their son and grandchildren being so far away, not to mention when they found out that their first grandchild… was the maiden and would have to die one day."

"That hit us all hard. We knew it was coming, but that doesn't prepare you for the emotional scars you'll get from such an ordeal. That's why I began teaching at Oxford; I love my family, but it hurts. And maybe it's cowardly to flee when it gets tough, but… I don't know how else to cope. Fitzroy came with me to try and use the extensive resources in Britannia to find a magical means to save his sister."

"To no avail. But, I'm now looking for a way to break the cycle, so no one will endure what my sister, Yozora, or we went through again."

Hoshiko and Dylan smiled. "A noble goal, Fitzroy."

"Indeed." Hayate laid a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Your sister would be proud, I'm sure."

Kairi smiled sadly. "King Hayate, do you mind if I ask you about your wife. Yozora hasn't told me anything other than how she passed."

"So you know about that." Hayate smiled before he pulled a photograph from his coat pocket. "I probably should've mentioned my darling Miyako before." He handed her the photo. The photo of a beautiful woman with deep brown eyes and long violet hair.

"She was a distant relative of mine, a few times removed." Hoshiko said.

"Yep, gotta keep royalty in the family. Just not too much in the family, don't want those genetics all screwy.(1)"

"Really Phienhas!?" Dylan snorted, using all his willpower to not spit out his drink.

"What? You know I'm right!"

"Oh Phinehas…" Hayate smirked. "Back to my story. Miyako and I grew up together. I declared that I would marry her when I was sixteen in front of my entire family, and hers. She was the love of my life, and was much more gentle than I. I was always one to make decisions quickly, and rashly. She was the one who kept me from talking out of turn. Helped me keep a cool head and think before I made decisions. She was my other half."

"Your better half."

"Hush, Phinehas!"

Hayate laughed. "No, she really was my better half. She made me a better person. And I'm hoping that Yozora finds a wife who can be the same for him."

"Um, sir." Kairi bit her lip. "I'm sure he'll find someone like that one day, but I'm not sure he's ready to get married just yet. The maiden still has his heart. He's heartbroken still."

The king nodded slowly. "I know, but I'm hoping that him finding a wife will help him move on. Because the fact is, she's gone… and holding on to those feelings will only hurt more."

The atmosphere at the table now felt stuffy, so thick Kairi felt she could cut it with her Keyblade.

No one spoke as Fitz pushed back his chair and stormed off.

"Fitz!" Hoshiko followed her son down the stairs with Dylan behind her.

Phinehas set down his drink and slowly stood up. "I'm gonna… go." He dramatically tip-toed away, possibly trying to lighten the mood with some humor. That, or he was just being a drama queen, as usual.

Aegis finished taking a sip of his drink before slamming it down on the table. "King Hayate, I mean no disrespect, but maybe you need to step back and rethink this whole wedding thing. Yozora isn't happy about this. He's angry."

"Yeah." Magia huffed. "Right now, he's going to be furious with you as long as your keep this up. It's too soon. Maybe help him recover from the heartbreak first, then do a wedding thing."

The king slowly nodded. "I know he's upset. But, I just want him to find happiness. I see my son suffering in more ways than one. I just want to do something to make him happy again. So, I'm hoping he'll find a sweet young woman who will help his heart heal."

Kairi smiled slightly. His heart was in the right place.

Hayate really thought he was doing the right thing for his son.

"King Hayate," she said softly, "just think about it please."

_"__Hayate, take a deep breath. Think about this decision first."_

He smiled at her. "You remind me of my Miyako… I will. So, Kairi, how did your parents meet?"

"Well, I don't remember my biological parents, but my adoptive parents have a sweet story." Thank goodness for the change of topic…

"Do tell."

Kairi took a drink of water. "Well, my father was a sailor and my mother was the daughter of a rich family on the islands. My father used to sit on the docks and sing; one night my mother heard him. She would stand on her balcony and listen to him sing. One night, he climbed up the tree outside her balcony and talked with her. They became best friends. He would have long journeys out at sea, but when he returned, he'd go to her balcony. My grandparents came home one night to find him sitting in a tree outside their daughter's balcony."

"I'm sure they weren't pleased."

"Well, they were concerned and curious. But, my grandfather was a very calm man. He invited my father inside and they had a chat. Now it helped that my dad had never set foot on her balcony at all, and just wanted to get to know her. My grandfather liked how kind and honest he was, so he approved as long as my father courted her properly."

The king chuckled. "Sounds like it all ended well."

"That it did."

* * *

The servers came in and began cleaning up the table as the clock ticked for eight. "Well, you three should probably get back."

"Probably."

"Well, you two young men head downstairs. I'd like to speak to Kairi before you all leave."

Huh?

"Kairi, would you mind joining me in the library?"

"Uh, sure…"

What could this be about? The four of them stepped into the elevator, but only she and the king got out at the library. The crysts flittered around in the background, watching silently, as the two walked in.

"Um, sir, what is this about?"

The king put his hands behind his back. "Kairi, you know that I want the best for my son. And, I know that he isn't the biggest fan of this marriage, but I believe this will help him in the end."

"Ok…"

"I told you about my dear Miyako and how she made me a better person. I want my son to have a wonderful wife who can be what Miyako was to me." He smiled. "Kairi, you're eighteen, correct?"

No.

But, that was the age Aegis put on her paperwork…

"That's what my paperwork says."

Not a lie.

Hayate nodded. "I thought so. Kairi, you are a good person. A sweet young woman, and you are sensible. I wanted to officially extend the offer of marrying my son to you."

WHAT!?

"M-me!?"

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

She was underage! … but he didn't know that.

She loved Sora! … but he didn't know that.

Oh no.

What to do?

What to say?

"Um, sir… I-I'm honored, but I… I will have to decline. Thank you though."

He frowned. "Oh… well, I was hoping you'd say yes. But I guess this was a little out of nowhere. Would you like time to consider it?"

"Uh, no sir…" Best to be honest. "My heart belongs to someone else. I have made an oath to him, and when this is all over, I'll see him again."

The king looked disappointed.

Had-

Had this been his plan since the beginning?

"I see. I understand." He breathed out a light chuckled. "I would've said the same thing probably if I was you. D-do you mind if I make one more request then?"

"What is it?"

"Be a good friend to my son. You can still be that good influence for him… a friend who helps him be the best that he can be. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course. Yozora is my friend."

He smiled, nodding. Kairi took this as a sign and headed for the elevator. "Oh, one more thing." She stopped. "This person who has your heart. What's his name?"

"He shares the name with someone your son spoke of." She turned to him, smiling. "His name is Sora."

* * *

"HE DID WHAT!"

Stella's eyes widened as she slurped a soda. Lucky began pacing around her bedroom, swinging a pillow around. "Seriously? Seriously!? The king asked YOU to marry Yozora!? I don't care if he IS the king. No!"

"What the heck!?" Stella gasped. "He just did it out of nowhere? Does Yozora know?"

"He doesn't." Kairi rested her head in her hands. She shook her head, having let the smile she held before the king fall. "I wonder… did he plan this from the beginning? Did he just let me join Yozora's squad so I could marry his son?"

Lucky shrugged dramatically. "Who knows!? He might have!"

"It all makes sense! He's asked me questions that he didn't ask anyone else, questions about things of state. What does he think I am!?" Kairi snapped. "Am I just a tool to him!?" Her shoulders shook. "Is that all I am to people!?"

"Kairi…"

"Maleficent and Ansem used me! Xemnas used me! Xehanort used me! I thought I would be paving my own way now! But no! I'm just here to be USED!"

Stella knelt beside her friend, rubbing Kairi's back as the girl fumed. "Why don't you hang out here for the night?"

"Ok…"

"I'm going to have words with Alexis and Yozora." Lucky headed for the door. "Don't worry, girlie. We'll help you figure this out."

Kairi looked over. "Thanks."

But, peace didn't come all that night.

Not with wakefulness.

Not with sleep.

* * *

**So, that happened. **

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) This is a joke referencing the fact that noble families tended to intermarry. I don't know about Japanese nobility, but European nobility sure did this in the past.

* * *

VAs:

Miyako- _Julie Nathanson (Area Mirus Fleuret, Chocolatte, Chocolina, Belle, Prishe)_


	19. Chapter 19

**I would've had this chapter sooner, but well, we got a new kitten. I'm the one on kitten duty as she stays where I'm sleeping. So, depending on how hyper she is, my computer keyboard is compromised. **

**But whatever. This chapter is gonna be… fun. **

**BTW, Happy SOKAI WEEK!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Fault Lines**

* * *

_"__MOMMY! DADDY!" _

_Little Kairi struggled as the silver-haired man dragged her though dark hallways. She kicked and scratched, even tried to bite him once or twice. _

_The man's grip only tightened on her arm. _

_Kairi winced but kept on fighting back. _

_Her head whipped around as they entered a room with a strange machine surrounded by pods. The pod before a console lay open. _

_He pulled Kairi along, toward the pod. _

_"__I hope you perform well, child." _

_Perform? What? What was going on!? _

_He scooped the flailing girl up before dropping her in the pod. She slammed into the back, knocking the wind from her lungs. The pod slowly closed on her. Kairi sat up, pounding on the pod as he pressed a button and turned away. _

_"__Farewell, Princess." _

_Kairi screamed as the world around her turned white. _

_"__Kairi… Kairi!"_

_Kairi blinked through the white haze before her vision cleared. She found herself inside the pod with Xehanort's back to her. He wasn't moving. _

_"__Kairi!" Chirithy hopped onto the pod lid. "Come out of there!" His little paws reached through the pod, pulling Kairi up and out of the pod._

_Kairi gasped. "H-how!?" _

_"__This is a dream." _

_Kairi looked down at herself, seeing herself as a small child, and back in the pod, she saw herself in the pod._

_"__This is weird." _

_The two floated down to the floor, Kairi now standing just taller than the little dream eater in her five-year-old state. Shadow and Bubbles appeared shortly after, looking so much bigger from her new perspective._

_"__What's going on?" _

_"__You're having a nightmare. We Spirits can devour nightmares, but this is a memory. If we were to devour it, we might take the memory away." Chirithy tottered away. "We're going to help you remember." _

_Kairi followed, her hand on Bubble's head. "But, isn't the memory over?" _

_"__Trust me." _

_They walked back down the hall. Things began to flicker around them. Kairi saw herself being dragged by Xehanort. As she stopped walking, the images froze._

_She saw herself trying to bite the man's hand. _

_"__So when we walk…" _

_"__We're walking back into the memory, basically rewinding it like a movie." _

_Kairi jogged toward the dream eater as they entered a large room. Images flickered before their eyes. _

_"__Who are they…?" _

_She saw a man with red hair like her own and with green eyes. Pacing back and forth about the room, Kairi watched as the man tried to take Kairi from Xehanort, only to get punched by Aeleus._

_Backing the dream up a little, Kairi saw Dilan standing nearby, standing over a kneeling older woman, his spear planted in the ground in front of the older woman. Kairi knew her. "That's my grandmother…" _

_"__And the other two?" _

_She looked again at the red-haired man. At this moment in the memory, Aeleus held the man's arms behind him, trying to hold him back as best he could._

_Braig held back a young woman with flaxen blonde hair and blue eyes; she looked like Naminé. The woman appeared to be screaming. _

_"__They look familiar… If that's my grandmother, then they're probably my parents." She turned, following the gaze of her family to where she could see herself as Xehanort dragged her away. _

_Kairi walked to the memory version of herself. "Why?" She choked out. "Why did her do this? What did we do to him?" _

_"__Listen," Chirithy jumped onto a desk, reading a piece of paper under his feet, "this is what Xehanort wrote: '__Opening the door to a world's heart causes its walls to crumble. These fragments are seen as shooting stars. This explains why these "gummi blocks" can travel freely to other worlds. I know the catalyst of this collapse- the appearance of the Heartless. However, it will take time to search out the worlds' doors and to retrieve each heart. Furthermore, the doors can be locked using a Keyblade, making the heart forever unattainable. I must take action before the wielder of the key appears in this world. If the princesses and the Keyblade are connected, they should resonate. I've chosen a girl. I don't know if she holds the princesses' powers, but I will find out. She will lead me to the key bearer. I shall set her free and observe.'_(1)"

_"__What…?"_

_"__Xehanort used you to find the Keyblade. You and your family didn't do anything. It was all him. He used you." _

_She jogged to the images of her parents. Her hand tingled as she touched the image of her enraged father. She could clearly see his clenched teeth and the tears in his eyes. He looked furious and afraid. _

_Her mother… Kairi felt her heart break at the teary eyes and terrified expression. _

_"__I don't remember them… I don't remember their names, anything about them. What happened to them? What did he do to them!?" _

_ "__I don't know. You don't hold that memory. Maybe, you can connect with them since we're close to the doors to death and see the full event." The dream began flickering. "You're waking up. We'll talk when you're awake." _

_Kairi took one last look at her parent's faces before they disappeared. _

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open to the image of Shadow flapping above her face, trilling softly.

"Chirithy…" The girl sat up to Bubble's squeaks and saw Chirithy sitting on the bed. "Was that really my memory?"

"Yes. Do you remember the dream?"

"Yes."

Chirithy laid his paw on her hand. "I'm sorry." He looked up as her hand began to shake. "Kairi?"

"My fault… Sora's death was my fault, and what happened to my parents was my fault."

"It wasn't yo-"

"IT WAS!" She laid her face in her hands. "You read the note! Xehanort came for me! He came for me! They didn't do anything!" She sobbed, her shoulders shaking. The dream eaters left her in silence for a bit, letting her express her emotions. "Chirithy… can you send a message across dreams?"

"Huh?"

The girl wrapped her arms around herself. "Can you send a message to Riku or someone through dreams?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I want to know who my parents are. I want to know their names. Their jobs. What happened to them."

Chirithy looked over at Shadow. "He can. He's Riku's dream eater. I can make a message for him to take to Riku. I'll send the message for you. Think you'll be alright?"

Taking in a deep breath, Kairi swung her legs out from under the sheets. "I'll be fine. Just send the message."

"Are you sure…?"

"I will be fine." She went and got dressed, trying her hardest to push the images from the dream out of her mind just to get through the day.

"Put them over there. Kairi, bring that crate here."

Kairi shoved the small crate across the floor. Lucky drafted her, Aegis, Yozora, and Magia to load supplies into the giant airship. Manual labor was nice and all, but it gave her plenty of time to think about her dream, which she didn't want to do.

And the boys weren't talking much, which didn't help.

"Hey you guys." Cid strode inside. "How are you this morning?"

"Ok."

"Ah, looks like my new parts are all in. gotta keep this ship in tip-top shape. Right Ai?"

Aiko followed him in. "That's right." She grabbed a crate with her metal arm and began dragging another crate over. "So, Kairi, I heard you had a run in with the Yakuza."

"Yeah…"

"It was a trip." Lucky huffed. "And they have a magic user too."

Aegis raised an eyebrow. "Since when?"

"Since they did."

Kairi sat down on top of a crate. "Do you think the LLE and Yakuza will cause problems together?"

"You mean work together?" Magia shook his head. "The Yakuza aren't really into violent crimes. Most of the time they keep peace in a way. So, if anything, they would be helping us and taking down the LLE on their own."

Cid huffed. "They're bad news. We put up with them because they keep the streets clear of violent crime, but they are big into other kinds of crime, some I detest more than crimes like theft(2)."

Aiko cleared her throat. "Speaking of the LLE, Yozora, I am very proud of that call you made regarding them. Instead of attacking, doing surveillance. Very good call."

"Thanks."

"Yozora's a chip off the old block." Cid grinned. "He'll be a great king one day, as well as a good husband and father." He clapped the prince on the back. "Now, I know you're not happy about this whole marriage thing, but who knows. Maybe you'll find a woman; I know you're not happy about it, but maybe keep an open mind."

Kairi, trying to block out her own feelings, spoke quietly. "Maybe you'll make a friend out of this."

Yozora's head snapped toward her. "Seriously!?"

Oh boy.

"You of all people." The prince glared at her as he stomped toward her. "Look, these girls want nothing to do with me other than marry me, so making friends with them is worthless. Are you like the rest of them!? I know my father asked you to marry me. So, are you like the others, just wanting to marry me, after you understand how I cared about the maiden!?"

"Do you think I asked to marry you!? Your dad approached me! I told him no! All I'm saying is that you might want to just be a little friendly and make a friend or two."

"I don't care about them! I don't care about this whole situation! They don't understand how hard it is to get over someone whom you killed, but you wouldn't know anything about that either."

"Really!? I'm the reason Sora is dead!"

"But you didn't have to point a weapon at him and pull the trigger yourself. I did!"

"So what! I'm still the reason he's gone, and I just found out my parents are dead because of me too! So stop pretending like your problems are worse than mine! Because guess what, they aren't!"

"Just shut up!"

Yozora whipped out his sword, lunging at her.

Kairi summoned her Keyblade, blocking the attack.

His sword met hers, sending sparks flying. A small piece of metal hit Kairi's cheek.

Her Keyblade!

She could see chips of the blade falling off as cracks deepened.

"That's enough!"

Two sets of arms grabbed Kairi's, pulling her away as Aegis and Cid grabbed Yozora's arms. Aiko stepped between them, eyes darting between the two. "What has gotten into you two? Cid, take Yozora and have a chat with him. Aegis, Magia, continue helping Lucky." The general walked over, grabbing one of Kairi's arms. "You're coming with me."

"Huh?"

"Come on." Aiko pulled Kairi out of the ship. "We need to have a chat."

* * *

"Any reason we needed to come out here and have a chat?"

Aiko sipped a cup of tea. "What? Would you rather have a chat inside the base? I wanted you out of that environment to cool your head. Now drink your tea."

Kairi glanced around the small café that had… "Why a cat café?"

"Cats are nice. That's why." She sipped her tea.

Kairi drank her own tea, studying the general. "Oh, I never noticed that locket."

"This old thing?"

"Yeah," the girl studied the golden heart that hung around the woman's neck, "it doesn't really fit your… terrifying general look."

Aiko laughed. "That it doesn't." She gently removed it, holding it in her hand. "It was a gift. Solid gold you know. Not cheap… it's very special."

Splash!

"Oh no!" A little girl with black hair, maybe about ten, gasped as her cup spilled all over the ladies' table. "I'm so sorry!"

Kairi and Aiko stood up before the liquid dripped into their laps. "Be more careful." Kairi chided.

"I'll clean it up." The girl reached for a napkin, but Aiko beat her to it.

"No worries. It's just a little spill. We can handle it."

The girl clasped the general's hands. "Thank you so much!" With that, she skittered off.

"Well, lets clean this u-" Aiko opened her hand. "My locket!?"

Kairi gasped, glancing after the little girl. "She's gone!"

"That little thief!" She turned to the waitress. "Put this on my tab!" Her face burned as she charged out of the café, followed by Kairi.

Kairi switched the Keyblade to Hippocratic Oath. "Which way?"

"This way! I can see her!" Aiko stormed down the street. People cleared for the small but intimidating woman as she ran.

The little girl, not too far down the road, heard the commotion and ducked into an alley. Kairi and Aiko followed into the dead-end alley.

"Kairi, stay here and block the exit. She's not getting away." Kairi nodded, setting up a barrier spell with her Keyblade. "Kid, I am General Aiko. Come out right now!"

Nothing.

Still nothing.

But then the lid of a dumpster slowly opened. The little girl peeked out, her eyes wet with tears. "I-I'm sorry. Please don't take me to prison…"

"That'll depend. Get out here."

The girl climbed out, holding the locket out. "I-I'm sorry. I heard you say it was solid gold. So, I took it."

Snatching back the locket, the general fastened it back around her neck. "Name?"

"Tsubame Sunrise(3)."

"How old are you?"

"Eleven."

"How does an eleven-year-old girl come to steal a locket from a general?"

"I need it. Mother and Father said I needed to get money or… or they'd get rid of me."

Aiko's expression shifted. "They what!? Where do you live? What are your parent's names?" The child didn't answer. "Tsubame," Aiko knelt down, looking the girl in the eyes, "I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"Yuki and Gekkai(4). We live in the Doma apartment complex in Ueno."

Aiko put a finger to her ear. "Stella, contact the police. Have them go to the Doma apartments in Ueno. Tell them to collect Yuki and Gekkai Sunrise, and let me know when they've done so. I have some questions for them… thanks." Her gaze softened on the child. "Come on. There's a temple of Shiva nearby. The clerics will take care of you."

She took the girl's hand as Kairi took down the shield. Kairi watched the little girl's face lighten as they walked. Tsubame seemed relieved, and she kept that expression the entire time as they walked down to the temple, and it disappeared through the temple doors with Tsubame as she left with the clerics.

"She'll be safe there. The temples keep those in need sheltered. And I'll know where the kid is."

"You were so gentle when you found out the truth."

"I have a soft place for children." She touched the locket again. "My father looked after me and told me to look after little ones."

"Did he give you that locket?"

"Yes." She popped it open; Kairi could vaguely see a small photo of a man. "This was his gift to me on my sixteenth birthday. He died a month later, fighting remnants of the last great evil." She sat on a bench, patting the seat next to her until Kairi sat down. "You said something earlier, during your argument with Yozora, about your parents."

Kairi nodded. "Last night, I had a dream… well, it was more like a repressed memory. I have amnesia, and I've been trying to work and recover those memories." She shuddered. "Last night, I saw a memory of me being taken from my parents. I could see their faces… they were so afraid. But, I don't know what happened to them. The only thing I know is that they were taken from their homes like I was, because of me. Those people were after me, and they had to get through my family. Their fates… their fates are on me."

"Kairi," Aiko laid her hand on Kairi's shoulder, "that's not true. The people who hurt your family are at fault. Tell me, how old were you in this memory?"

"Five."

"Five…" She sighed.

"I can't even mourn them properly. I just remembered their faces last night. I don't know their names, or anything about them. I can't remember…"

Aiko pulled Kairi into a hug. "Kairi, no matter what happened, it wasn't your fault. And, they're not truly gone." She pulled back, holding the girl's shoulders. "They live in you, even if they are gone from this world. My father told me, right before he died, that parents live on inside their children. They are a part of you. You are their legacy, and they live on in what you do and who you are. I hope they're alive, Kairi, I really do. But, if they aren't… remember they're inside you. In your heart, they live."

"General…" Kairi bit her lip as tears pricked at her eyes.

"Aiko. Just call me Aiko, Kairi."

Kairi sobbed as she was pulled into another hug.

A warm hug.

Like the hug of a mother.

* * *

"Kairi!" Stella grabbed her hands as the girl returned from dinner that evening. "General Aiko left you something!"

She did?

Kairi walked to her bedroom door, looking down at the small box lying beside it. On top lay a note. She picked it up. "Dear Kairi, let me know if you learn anything new, or just need someone to talk to. I like to consider myself the 'Army Mom' so don't be a stranger if you need help. This is a gift for you. Now, normally I'd say to put a picture of someone inside it, maybe of that boyfriend of yours that you're doing all this for, but in this case, I want you to use it to make a B.A. Keyblade. -Aiko".

Opening the box, the girl found a locket just like the one Aiko wore, hanging from a golden chain.

"Keyblade time!" Stella cheered! "And Z told me how we can hook dresspheres to it! We can do it in the morning!"

"Sure… thanks, Stella."

Stepping into her room, Kairi switched out the keychain again.

The Keyblade changed into a large weapon with a black handle with silver metal as the guard. The thick shaft, glowing an electric blue, seemed to pulse with power and energy, a drastic opposite to the simple three metal spikes that made up the blade.

"Golden Heart." Kairi smiled as she ran her hand along the blade. She could feel it. This weapon was powerful, just like the general. "Thanks, Aiko."

* * *

_Squeak!_

_Riku looked up. Again, he found himself in that city in his dreams. But this time, a bright bat came fluttering toward him, a note clasped in his talons._

_"__Hey, buddy." He smiled as the bat landed on his shoulder. "I thought you went to where Kairi is." The bat trilled as it dropped the letter into Riku's hands. _

_A letter? _

_Kairi?_

_His fingers trembled as they tore open the letter, reading out the words. _

_"__Riku, I hope you get this. Shadow should be able to reach you… Kairi asked me to send this. She's been recovering her memories of her past and wants to know if the people in Radiant Garden knew anything about her parents. Please send a reply back with Shadow. -Chirithy"_

_Not from Kairi, but it was something. _

_Riku focused, waiting until a pen and paper appeared in his hands. This was a dream… his dream. He wrote a letter back. _

_"__Dear Kairi, Next time, I'd like to hear from you. I've been worried, we all have. I'll ask about your parents for you. How are you? What's going on? Are you close to finding Sora? Please tell me. Oh, and Ansem the Wise thinks we can use the datascape to not only bring you and Sora home, but we might be able to use it to see what you see, so we know what's going on and when to bring you home. I know it is an invasion of privacy, but would you be alright if we did that? If you say no, we won't. But, at least we now have a way to communicate with each other. Kairi, I miss you. Be safe. -Riku"_

_He folded up the letter and handed it back to Shadow. "She calls you Shadow, huh? Do you like that name?" Shadow trilled happily. "Shadow it is then. Get this to Kairi, quickly." _

_The bat trilled once more before nuzzling Riku's face and flying off into the city…_

* * *

Riku awoke, blinking as he remembered the dream in full.

"If she sent a message, then she's probably alright…" Swinging his legs out over the bed, he pulled out his gummi phone, not caring if he looked like death warmed over, as he usually did early in the mornings.

Ienzo picked up nearly right away. "_Riku? Is there something I can help you with?_"

"Yes, Kairi just contacted me in my dreams. I asked her about the datascape thing, and I'll tell you when she answers."

"_Really!? That's great!_"

"Also, Kairi's apparently begun to remember her past. She wants to know if you guys know anything about her parents."

Ienzo's smile dropped immediately. "_Her parents… um, well. I'll… I'll look into that and get back to you. Alright?_"

"Alright." Riku rubbed his eyes before shutting off the phone and laying down again. His eyes begged to close once more.

And he obliged.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) This is Ansem Report 11 from KH1.

(2) The Yakuza are known for trafficking drugs and people.

(3) She's a shinobi from Final Fantasy 14.

(4) These are names of other FF14 characters that are also related to the ninja discipline.

* * *

_VAs:_

_Tsubame Sunrise- __Lindsay Seidel (Tsubame, Ruka Urushibara, Nejire Hado, Reba)_


	20. Chapter 20

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Material Gain**

* * *

Kairi swung around her new Keyblade, slow and heavy, but it could pack a wallop. She felt the magic in it once more. Releasing it, magic covered her entire being.

Zoraida figured out how to magically link the dress sphere to her weapon, so that when there was a specific surge of magic, such as the magic when the Keyblade changed, the dress sphere activated, and it also turned off when the magic disappeared.

So, when Kairi's keyblade changed, her clothes changed to a black sweater and leggings covered by a deep red coat with a dark red hat and coat front and white accents; her white boots had red accents. Atop her arms and legs, her keyblade changed into a set of gloves and boots over her own; power, strength surged through her limbs. She kicked and punched, feeling the power behind each movement.

Good thing she took those kick boxing lessons in school.

When her keyblade changed again, the gauntlets and boots vanished making a war hammer appear in its place.

This keyblade had one purpose.

Power.

But as it changed back, she saw the cracks in the blade and the chipped off portions.

"What do I do about this?"

Chirithy appeared before her, sighing. "Well, maybe you can send a message to Riku when Shadow gets back. He and Mickey got new keyblades, maybe they saw how it was done. Or maybe Master Aqua knows a way."

"No."

"Why not!?"

The reason…

"I just don't want to. There has to be a way for us to do it. Maybe the answer will come."

"_KAIRI_!"

"Ow!" Kairi clutched at her ear. "Phinehas? How did you get a comlink?"

"_I borrowed one._ _But that's not the point. I found something! Get your rear over to the castle!_"

Chirithy laughed slightly. "Well, looks like you might be right. I still say we should let the others know, but if Minister Phinehas finds something, we won't say anything to Riku and the others."

"Thanks. Phinehas, I'll be there soon."

"_Great!_"

* * *

"Minister."

"Oh hey!" Phinehas grinned. "Chirithy wasn't it? Always a pleasure to see a magical creature like yourself. But, Kairi, I found something. Your keyblade. It can be fixed."

Kairi's heart leapt. "Really!?" She summoned it. "Yozora damaged it yesterday. It's missing pieces now… Please, how do I fix it?"

"Ok, I can't tell you the how exactly. I can tell you what you need to fix it, but where to go or what to exactly do with the materials. No clue."

"Well, it's a start."

Chirithy hopped onto a table. "Can you show us where you found it?"

"Well, it's not just from one text. I found a collection of materials from multiple texts from all different times and locations I compared the materials listed in each one and found the materials that were similar in all accounts. Looks like there are a few base components, but the rest are up to you. Each one will determine the abilities of the weapon."

He laid out a piece of paper. "Those base ingredients, and even some of the other ones aren't cheap, and the only way to get some of them is through the black market which causes a whole other issue as it's technically illegal to buy from there. I might be able to get some though."

Kairi picked up the paper. "I've seen some of these ingredients before. Moogles back home would use this for synthesis."

"Yeah…" Chirithy tapped his chin. "So, all keyblades are made from a base of orichalcum+, orichalcum, and mithril."

"Mithril…" Kairi touched her necklace gently.

"_Wow Mommy! It's so pretty!_"

"_It was mine when I was a little girl. It's made of a very special metal called mithril._"

"There are many other materials here. Do you know what they add to the weapon?"

The minister tapped the paper. "Some. I'm checking on all of them, so you can make the best Keyblade possible."

Kairi let out a long sigh. There was at least some good news. And she wouldn't have to look weak in front of her friends…

Yes, it was a stupid and selfish reason to not ask for help.

But she didn't care.

She had a way to do it without looking weak.

"Kairi?" King Hayate walked in, smiling. "Good to see you again."

"Um, it's… nice to see you too."

He seemed to not remember the awkward conversation they had last time she'd seen him. "Would you like to join me, Dylan, Hoshiko, and Phinehas for lunch?"

"Sure…" Maybe with the others around she could get some support against him if he asked her again.

"Great."

They followed the king to the dining room where Hoshiko and Dylan sat. "Oh, good day Kairi."

"Good day." She sat down next to Dylan, who looked as thrilled as always to see the Keyblade wielder.

"I hope you don't mind us talking technical stuff, as this was supposed to be a lunch meeting."

Kairi giggled slightly. "Well, I'll just keep my mouth shut and eat." And that worked just fine as someone set a plate of salad before her. The four others at the table began to talk around her.

"Any word on the bride hunt?"

"No, Yozora isn't interested. And I've had many people, including Kairi, Aegis, and Magia, say we might want to hold back and wait on the marriage until Yozora is ready."

Phinehas nodded. "I actually agree. I mean, the whole thing about keeping the bloodlines of the maiden and champion going is important, but it's not like we're on a time crunch. Well, kinda."

"Kinda?"

"It's not the bloodline of the champion I'm worried about."

Hoshiko bit her lip. "You mean Fitzroy?"

"Yes." Phinehas slowly tapped his fork on the table. "Wasn't there some ancient law when this whole thing got started that said the bloodlines can't mix?" The others nodded. "Thought so. So, Fitz can't continue the bloodline unless we do the thing you've all been putting off since the boy was born."

This, peaked Kairi's interest.

What was this about Fitz?

Dylan let out a long sigh. "I hate to agree. I hoped that we'd put this behind us. We'll have to talk to Fitzroy first… because if he's my son, we won't have an issue, but if he's your son," he pointed at King Hayate, "then we have a problem."

Oh boy.

Kairi shoveled a forkful of salad into her mouth.

This was JUICY.

She wasn't a gossip, but boy this was interesting to hear.

But poor Fitz… did he know about this?

"I'll talk to Fitzroy tonight." Hoshiko said sadly. "Besides this reason, I think it's about time he knew who his father really was(1), if he wishes to know."

Hayate glanced over at Kairi. "Sorry if this is awkward. This topic isn't exactly a secret around the castle. Actually, what do you think about this situation?"

He wanted her opinion?

She had nothing to do with it!

"Please don't tell me you still want me to marry your son! I said no!"

All eyes turn to the king.

"You asked her!?"

"Why did you ask Kairi!?" Phinehas threw up his hands before walking off.

Hayate averted his eyes. "I just… look, Kairi, I didn't mean… today I just wanted your opinion, because you're a smart girl. And, while you may not marry my son, I didn't know if you would end up on my son's triad."

"When this is over, I'm going home. I have a life back there. Why do you want me here so badly?"

"You remind me of my wife… that's all. She was better at talking to people and understanding them than me. I know I shouldn't have pushed or assumed, but I wanted my son to have what I had."

"Tell him that," Phinehas strutted back, "when he gets here."

Hayate paled. "You asked Yozora here?"

"I did."

Thank goodness for Phinehas!

The king kept his mouth shut until the elevator dinged.

"Father!"

There he was.

"Son, there you are…"

Yozora stormed up to the table, flanked by his two friends. "Father! We need to talk!"

Dylan cleared his throat before standing. "We better… go. We can talk to Fitzroy…"

"Yes…" Hoshiko grabbed her husband's arm, the two leaving at a very fast pace.

"I best be going too."

"You're going nowhere, Phinehas!" Hayate snapped. "You got us into this mess. You're not going anywhere." Phinehas sat down slowly, glancing awkwardly at Kairi.

Yozora let out a long sigh. "Father, why do you insist on sticking your nose into my business and pulling others into it! Kairi has nothing to do with this wedding stuff, and I want nothing to do with it too! Why can't you understand that!? Why do you have to interfere in everything?"

"I just want to help."

"Stop! I don't want your help! You just get in the way."

Hayate folded his hands on the table, his face unreadable. "If that's what you wish."

"Good. We're leaving." The prince grabbed Kairi's arm firmly and pulled her away.

The girl barely caught the eyes of the king as they left.

Eyes filled with a deep pain and agony. Agony he didn't wish to show before his son.

"I can't believe this." Magia huffed as they stepped into the elevator. "He won't cut it out."

Kairi leaned against the elevator wall. "He said I reminded him of your mother, Yozora. And he wanted me to be for you what she was for him, either by marrying you or doing either Hoshiko or Phinehas's job in the future."

"Those positions belong to Magia and me. Yozora promised us that when we were in our teens." Aegis drummed his fingers on the glass walls. "I could see why he'd want you though. You seem to have a knack for thinking through things before acting, at least for the most part. However, you do second guess yourself, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I can agree that you would most likely be a good candidate for either a minister or queen."

That… was quite the compliment.

The elevator stopped, but not on the ground floor.

"Why are we coming here?"

"I just felt like it." Yozora opened the doors to a large room that appeared to be a private apartment.

Kairi followed the boys out, looking around the room. Tan colored walls lined with dark bookshelves made the central room feel more like a library than anything else.

"What is this place?"

"My room." Yozora ran his hand along a dusty bookshelf.

Yozora's room? It didn't seem to fit the personality of the young man before her.

"He hasn't lived here sine Frode took up residence." Magia whispered.

Made sense. This place must have fit his original personality. But, why would Yozora want to come here?

He just seemed to stand in the room for a minute, staring at two portraits on the wall. One of his mother. One of his father.

There seemed to be a hook for a third photo beneath theirs, but the frame lay shattered on the ground by Yozora's feet. The photo itself seemed to be nothing more than charred pieces of paper now.

Kairi approached him slowly, seeing his silver eyes shuddering with a deep emotion that she couldn't quite place.

But she could see one thing.

He was in pain.

Deep pain.

"You love your father, don't you?"

"I don't know anymore." He reached down and picked up a charred piece of his own photograph. "I must have long ago, but I don't know if I do anymore." His eyes lingered on the paper before he closed his hand around it. "Let's go."

They walked back toward the elevator, but Yozora stopped, turning to Kairi. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry about my father. He's trying to help, I know that. But…"

"He's just going about it in the wrong way."

"Yes."

"I understand." Kairi smiled softly. "I'm actually used to people doing that. My friend, Axel, actually kidnapped me once because all he wanted was his friend back. An extreme example I know…" She paused. "Do… do you guys just see me as a means to an end? Like, not as a friend but just as a tool to open the doors and then discard when my job is done?"

Aegis and Magia turned toward her.

"Why would we think that?" Magia shook his head. "You're a friend and a valuable asset to our team."

"Honestly," Aegis pushed his glasses up his nose, "you should know us better by now, or are you so full of self-doubt that you're putting it on us?"

They saw her as a friend. Even Aegis?

Yozora looked at her, his silver eye shining. "You're our teammate, and our friend."

* * *

Kairi lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

What was the king thinking?

Why was he so eager to help?

As Kairi's eyes closed…

_She found herself standing once more in the castle library. _

_"__Why am I here?"_

_Squeak! _

_Shadow fluttered down, a piece of paper clutched in one of his talons. _

_"__Shadow! Did Riku get the message?" She pulled the piece of paper from his claws and read it. "He did! And… wait, they can see what I'm doing…" _

_She grabbed a piece of paper from the library table and scribbled down her response before handing it to the bat. "Take this back to him." She scratched Shadow's fuzzy head before the bat trilled and fluttered off. _

_"__Father!" _

_Kairi turned. She now noticed King Hayate, a much younger him, sitting in a chair across the room. He looked up from his book. "Yozora, is something wrong?" _

_A boy rushed past Kairi. He looked… strange. His face looked blurred, with only a single silver eye visible. _

_"__Father, I need some advice. There's this new boy at school. I want to be his friend, but he seems kinda rude. He always says things that make others feel bad, and he doesn't seem to care really. And he counts things all the time. But I still want to be his friend."_

_"__What's his name?"_

_"__Aegis." _

_Kairi blinked. "What is this?"_

_"__Kairi." Chirithy appeared beside her. "Who were you thinking of when you went to sleep?" _

_"__King Hayate… but I thought I could only see the minds of those beyond the door! He's alive." _

_Chirithy walked toward the father and son. "I don't know, maybe you do have the chance to see into the minds of those living here while they dream. Because this is a memory of the king's." _

_A memory. She watched as Hayate spoke with a smile on his face. "Son, you will have to figure out how to talk and make friends with many people when you become king one day. So, why don't you invite Aegis over and I'll show you how I make friends with people who are hard to make friends with. It'll help you."_

_Little Yozora's visible eye sparkled and Kairi could almost see a wide grin behind the blurred features of his face. _

_Oh, yes… Yozora's appearance changed when Frode came in. Now the king can't remember what his son looked like as a child. _

_"__Great idea, Father!" Yozora wrapped his arms around the king._

_Hayate's face lit up with joy. _

_The joy of a father helping his son; a son who looked up to and trusted his father. _

_…_

_A joy he could no longer find in his current world._

_"__So that's why." Kairi sat down. "Why he's been trying to hard to help Yozora. And I'm just collateral damage in his fight to win back his son. The son he used to have." _

_Chirithy shook his head. "It's really sad…" _

_"__Chirithy, do you think we could bring the old Yozora back?"_

_"__I don't know, but we might be able to try. If you remember this dream in the morning." _

_"__Don't worry. I'll remember it."_

_She had to. _

_For the king…_

_For Yozora. Her friend._

_"__What about Sora?"_

_"__I'm not going to stop looking for him, you know that. But, if I didn't take the time to help a friend in need, Sora would probably be disappointed. He always helped his friends no matter what. Even if it meant he was delayed in other things, he was always there for his friends. Me. Riku. Anyone." _

_She clutched the necklace around her neck. _

_"__I may never be as strong as him, but I can at least try to act in the same way he would." _

_But how…_

_"__Chirithy, we need to look into the dreams of Yozora's mother. She knew him before his face changed." _

_"__That's going to be hard, you know nothing about her."_

_"__So what? If I learn what I can, I might be able to connect with her dreams. It's the best chance we have to find the truth." _

_The dream eater paused for a moment before nodding. "Then lets do it!" _

* * *

**Things are going to start getting crazy from this point on.**

**I hope you're ready. **

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) If you want to know if Fitzroy is Dylan's son or Hayate's, I've actually already told you. Hint, it's in a character's name.

* * *

_VAs: _

_Young Yozora- __Maxim Knight (Prince Desmond, Prince Zandar, Mowgli, David)_


	21. Chapter 21

**I've been looking forward to this chapter!**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Kaimu, Clover, and all my OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 21: A Sea of Clovers**

* * *

Riku strode into the computer room as Isa chatted with the rest of the group. "I have word from Kairi!"

"Oh, really?"

"She gave us permission to check in on her as long as a girl is in the room and clears it first."

Ienzo nodded. "_I will have Aerith come here and help us." He stepped offscreen for a moment._"

"Also," Riku continued, "she asked if you guys had any information on her family."

At that, everyone in Radiant Garden went silent.

Aqua raised an eyebrow. "Do you know something?"

Silence.

"You do know something." Jiminy pushed up his hat, face wrought with seriousness. "You just don't want to tell us… or you don't want to tell Kairi."

Ansem the Wise stepped into view, letting out a deep sigh. "_We do know something. And yes, we didn't want to say anything._"

Even rubbed the bridge of his nose. "_We had a hand in their fates, some of us a direct hand in it back when Xehanort called the shots._"

"I don't remember this." Isa tapped his chin.

"_You and Lea were with Ienzo. You were children at the time,_" Dilan spoke softly, "_when it came to the worst stuff, we kept you three away from it. Giving up our own hearts was one thing, but we didn't let you three see some of the worst things…_"

Ienzo cocked his head. "I suspected as much."

"I have to relay this info." Riku sat down, pulling up a pen and paper. "Tell me what happened."

Even wrung his hands slowly before he began typing. "Their names were Kaimu," a picture of a man with red hair and deep green eyes popped onto the screen, "and Clover Utada." A young woman with curly blonde hair and indigo eyes appeared beside him on the screen. "They lived with Kaimu's mother, who was known to most as Widow Hikaru(1)."

* * *

_Kaimu, the captain of Radiant High's soccer team walked down the streets of Radiant Garden after dark, arm-in-arm with the young science prodigy, Clover. _

_Away from prying eyes, in a garden which may or may not have been off limits, the two kissed and made a commitment of love that bound them forever. _

_Only, days later, they found out the true consequences of their actions._

_"__Mother," Kaimu walked into his mother's room where she sat reading, "I-I have something to tell you." _

_Widow Hikaru looked up from her book. "Yes son?" _

_"__Mother… Clover… Clover's pregnant." _

_The old woman closed her book, a very serious look on her face. "Are you the father?" _

_"__Yes…" _

_…_

_Fourteen-year-old Clover dropped out of high school after becoming pregnant. She and Kaimu decided together to keep the baby, and with their parent's permission, they married before the end of the school year. _

_Kaimu continued to in school and took on a late-night job at a carpentry shop. Clover became a maid in the castle. _

_Soon, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl with red hair like that of her father and soft blue eyes like her mother. _

_…_

_"__Kairi." Clover smoothed her little girl's hair. "I wonder what she'll grow up to be." _

_"__She'll be whatever she wants." Kaimu bit back tears of delight at his daughter's small face. "Our darling little girl…" _

_…_

_Kaimu worked to finish school while Clover continued to work at the castle. Widow Hikaru watched little Kairi while her parents were out. _

_Kaimu soon became a manager at the carpentry shop. And Ansem the Wise saw the potential of Clover when she would offer her ideas as she worked around them; he offered her a job, but she refused, wanting to finish school first. He told her the job was waiting for her when she was ready. _

_That day never came. _

* * *

"_Xehanort found out about Kairi and assumed correctly that she was one of the seven pure lights he desired._" Even continued, picking up a piece of paper. "_He had Dilan, Aeleus, and Braig arrest their family on false charges. He took Kairi away and sent her away. Her parents and grandmother were taken to the lab. They became some… some of the people turned to Heartless for the experiments of the heart._"

"_Perhaps one day they will be recompleted…_"

Riku's hand shook as he wrote all this down. "You knew all this time…"

"_I did. Most of the others did not, but we found out soon enough. Why do you think we literally dropped everything for Kairi? We have other things we can be using some of our time to do, but we're pouring every ounce of our time into this_."

Olette slammed her hands on the table. "You should've told her! Kairi's parents are dead! She's dealing with enough right now, and now she'll have this!"

"I agree!" Aqua snapped. "And you helped Xehanort kill them and send her away. She's fortunate that I cast that spell on her…"

"What spell."

"A spell that, if she was ever in trouble, would send her to the light of another, someone to keep her safe. It is probably what allowed her to reach the islands."

Lea tapped his chin. "Kaimu… I know that name."

"The high schooler that got kicked off the soccer team." Isa added. "Now we know why he got kicked off. He got a girl pregnant."

Xion cocked her head. "But I thought you had to be married to have a baby."

"Xion," Isa said firmly, "we'll discuss that later."

Donald tapped his foot on the ground. "So Kairi's parents were only fifteen when she was born…"

"Quite a lot of responsibility for two kids."

Mickey looked at the pictures of them. "Yeah, but it sounds like they did alright up until the end…"

"Yeah."

"AUGH!" Terra punched a wall, muttering curses under his breath before he stormed off.

"Terra?"

Riku followed him, watching Terra walk away, his body shaking. "Terra. Wait for me."

The older man slumped onto one of the crunches, hand dropping into his hands. "Why did I listen to him?"

"You mean Xehanort?"

"Yes… If I'd just trusted my master and my friends I so much pain could've been avoided."

Riku sat beside him. "Why did you trust Xehanort?"

Terra leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "He was Master Eraqus's friend, and a Keyblade master. I trusted him because it seemed like Master Eraqus trusted him."

"You know, that makes sense. You can't blame yourself for trusting someone who should have been trustworthy. He fooled all of us, myself included." The younger man mirrored Terra's position. "You're blaming yourself aren't you? For what happened to Kairi's family."

"Yes."

"I thought you couldn't remember much."

Terra kept silent.

"You lied."

"I did." Terra sighed. "I remember some things. A lot of things actually. The memories pop up over time when brought up. As they were talking, I saw flashes of memory. I've hurt so many people… how c-"

"How can they forgive me for what I did?" Riku closed his eyes. "I know how you feel…"

"But what's past is past and you can't change it." A soft voice spoke as a third person entered the room. Naminé smiled softly.

Riku smiled back. "Nami's right… this is painful to think about, but it's in the past. Now, in the present… we need to do something. I'm going to go take a nap and pass this on to Kairi." He stood up, leaving for his room. But Terra stayed.

"Want to talk about it?"

The girl's soft voice pierced through his thoughts.

Just like before.

Just like when his heart slept in darkness and anger. She spoke to him then, telling him to help his friends(2).

For someone who spoke so softly, her words seemed so powerful.

"Just an old memory."

"Memories are my specialty." She sat beside him, pulling out her sketchbook. "If you want, I can help you remember it further, or even forget it."

"I want to forget it, but I don't think I should."

"Why?"

"To punish myself for what I did."

"Terra…" Aqua and Ven, having heard the last few sentences came into the room. They looked distraught.

Aqua took her friend's hand. "You can't run from your mistakes. But you don't have to face them alone. Naminé, could you let Ven and I see this memory too. We can bear the burden with him." The young girl nodded. "Great."

Terra smiled. There was no arguing with Aqua.

"Alright…"

* * *

_Xehanort, in Terra's body, stood by a bookshelf, reading through some of Ansem the Wise's notes. Lost in thought, he barely noticed the door opening right as the clock chimed for two o'clock. _

_"__Good afternoon, Lord Ansem. I have your tea!" _

_"__Thank you, Clover. Just set it there." _

_Footsteps pattered around the room with the new voice. "Even, would you like coffee again today?" _

_"__Of course." _

_"__Ienzo?"_

_"__I want juice!" _

_"__Braig?" _

_"__I'll take a beer." _

_"__Braig, you know no drinking on the job." _

_"__Fine… coffee." _

_The footsteps pattered over to Xehanort. "Excuse me. I don't believe we've met."_

_He turned around to see a girl in one of the castle maid uniforms. Her blonde curls bounced around her gentle face, and her indigo eyes held equal parts kindness and intelligence. _

_She curtsied. "My name is Clover, it's nice to meet you." _

_"__I am Xehanort." _

_"__The pleasure is mine, Xehanort. Now, is there something you would like to drink this afternoon?" _

_"__Tea." _

_"__Alright." She bounced out of the room, coming back in a few minutes with a tray of drinks in hand. She went around the room once more, handing each and every person their drinks. _

_Ansem smiled as the girl handed Xehanort his tea. "Clover, come here for a moment." She came over, folding her arms around the tray she held. Ansem pulled out some notes. "What do you think of this?" _

_Lord Ansem was asking a maid for input?_

_"__Hm," the girl tapped her chin, "I think it looks good. But, these numbers are off." She set down her tray, grabbing the paper from the lord of the castle and a pen. Ansem said nothing as she scribbled down something on the paper. "There, that should be correct." _

_Ansem took the paper, reading over her work. "Very good, Clover. Thank you."_

_"__It was nothing, my lord." _

_"__That job as my apprentice is still open if you want it."_

_"__I am honored my lord, but I do want to finish school first." _

_"__I know… I just thought I'd ask." _

_Xehanort stared at the girl. She didn't look like much, but that just hid the brains beneath. _

_Day after day she came, and soon even Xehanort asked for her opinions and assistance on different experiments._

_But a later memory…_

_The day Xehanort took Kairi and sent her away…_

_Xehanort came back after sending away the little girl. Kaimu now lay on the floor with Aeleus kneeling on his back; he was certainly a fighter. He pointed at Kaimu and Widow Hikaru. "Take them to the cells." _

_"__Mother! Kaimu!" Clover screamed, struggling against Dilan as her family disappeared. _

_Xehanort knelt before the young woman. "Now, I'd hate to see such brilliance and talent like yours go to waste, Clover. I am giving you a chance. Work with us, help us finish our experiments." _

_"__Return my daughter and release my family!" She cried. "Please… I'll do whatever you want, just give them back!" _

_"__I could release your husband and mother-in-law, but your daughter is gone, sent among the stars." The captive woman's face paled. She knew about the machine known as the Ark, after all, she helped finish the calculations to complete the project. "It was necessary, but my offer still stands. Will you h-"_

_Clover spit in Xehanort's face. "I'd rather die!" _

_"__So be it. Take her away." _

* * *

"So, what's the word, Fitz?"

"Give me one bloody minute!" The young man snapped, spinning around in Stella's chair, as the group of them hijacked her office for a bit. "Hacking is hard enough as it is, but the LLE has a very good security system."

Kairi looked into the camera feed from their little LLE spycam, the same one she'd help set up. "Those little gigas, what are they called?"

"No clue. The LLE built them."

Yozora's red eye shuddered. "Which they shouldn't be able to do."

"Don't let Frode take over again."

"I won't."

Kairi stared at the new gigas. They seemed to be about 7 feet tall and looked like something out of a Halloween movie. Skull-like faceplates on the front with one arm made up of a sword and the other a giant needle.

"They're freaky."

"And they're called Doomtrain(3) Gigas." Fitz spun around, a confident smile on his face. "Got through the first layer of security." He spun back to the monitor. "Looks like they're preparing for a full-scale assault on the door."

Kairi bit her lip. "Why don't we contact them?"

"Huh?"

"If we tell them we have a way to close the door forever, maybe they can actually help us."

Fitz grinned. "That's brilliant! Yozora what do you think?"

"I don't think they'll listen or care."

"Let's try it. If they say no, it won't matter. We can just act like nothing has changed then, but if they say yes, we have a new ally."

The prince huffed. "Fine."

"This might take a while. I need to word this so they don't think we know their plans and then send it and… just give me a bit."

Kairi sat down, leaning against one of Stella's large stuffed animals in the back corner. Her mouth opened to let out a long yawn before she drifted off for a peaceful nap.

Or maybe not so peaceful…

* * *

_"__What's this?" Kairi took a letter from Shadow's claws. _

_A letter from Riku…_

_She read it. _

_…_

_CRACK_

_Her knees hit the ground as images poured into her mind. _

_So many-_

_So painful- _

* * *

A scream pierced the air as Kairi awoke from her nap.

The four boys turned, seeing the girl curl up in the corner. Tears spilled from her eyes as she cried out.

Her body shook as sweat began to pool on her face. Her breathing came hard, fast, as her heart pounded in her ears.

"Kairi!?"

"What happened?"

The office door opened. "WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Stella bolted to Kairi's side, putting an arm around the girl's shoulders.

"Nothing!"

"Get out! Call Cat and Lucky and get out!" The boys left; Stella wrapped Kairi in a hug. "Shh, it's ok. I'm here Kairi. It's ok."

Kairi, didn't speak. She just shook, goosebumps prickling up and down her arms and legs.

She couldn't breathe.

Why couldn't she breathe!?

Was she dying?

The door opened again, Cat and Lucky racing in.

"Cat, she won't talk! I don't know what's wrong!"

Cat knelt down, taking Kairi's hands. "Stella, let go of her for a moment." She waited till Stella moved back. "Kairi, listen. I know you're probably scared. But I need you to listen. Close your eyes for me."

Kairi forced her eyes shut, plunging everything into darkness.

But Cat's calm voice still reached her. "Good. Now, take some slow deep breaths. Focus on your breathing. In… and out. In…. and out."

In and out.

In and out.

In and out.

Kairi felt the tightness in her chest lessen.

"Kairi. I want you to focus on five things you can feel. You don't have to tell me what they are, but find five things you can touch and feel right now(4)."

Five things…

The cold concrete floor.

The kind but firm grip of Cat's hands.

The ripples in her sweater.

The hair touching her cheek.

The stuffed animal against her back.

"If you think you're calm enough to open your eyes, go ahead."

Kairi allowed her eyes to open gently, looking into Cat's gentle face. "C-Cat…"

"Sh," the woman smiled, "don't talk. Let's get you back to your room and then we'll talk. Alright?"

"Alright."

* * *

Aerith walked into the lab, glancing around at all the serious faces. "I'm here… is something the matter?"

"We need your help with something." Ienzo quickly explained everything and Aerith's task.

The woman nodded. "If I think it's alright, I'll call you."

"Good." Ienzo activated the mic on the console. "Pence, we are ready to begin the test on our end."

"_We're ready on ours._"

"Good. Olette should be able to activate everything once the men are out of the room."

Both in Twilight Town and Radiant Garden, the men left the computer room as Olette input the command. The computer screens fizzled for a moment before images and voices began to appear.

"Kairi…"

"_I-I think it's safe to let them in…_"

Aerith went and got the guys.

…

In Twilight Town, Riku was the first boy to step back into the room. "Kairi?"

"What happened?"

"We don't know…"

On the screen, they saw Kairi sitting on a bed with Chirithy and a blonde woman in a lab coat. The woman rubbed Kairi's back as Kairi sobbed. "**_Kairi, can you tell me what happened?_**"

"**_I-I had a dream… a dream of an old memory._**"

"**_Can you tell me what happened in the dream?_**"

Kairi looked on the verge of more tears but nodded. "**_Y-yes…_**"

* * *

_"__On yonder mountain-side a vine clings at the foot of a mother pine…(5)" An old voice sang softly._

_Little Kairi walked into a room with soft green walls and a cherry wood floor. An older woman stood in the kitchen, dusting flour off her hands. "Oh, there you are, dear! Want to come help grandma make scones?" _

_"__Yeah!" Little Kairi ran over, reaching to grab a stool so she could get up to the counter. But as the front door opened, she skidded to a stop. "Mommy! Daddy!" _

_A man with green eyes smiled down at her, his red hair tainted with layer of brown dust. "Hello, my little princess!" _

_"__Did you have a good day today with Grandma?" The blonde woman giggled._

_"__Yeah."_

_"__I was just about to start making scones." Her grandmother leaned against the counter. "Clover, I know you have some school work to do, so Kaimu, mind coming to help me?"_

_"__Of course, Kairi and I will help!" _

_BANG BANG! _

_"__Open up in the name of the king!" _

_Kairi stared at the front door, scared and confused by the mean voices outside. But her grandmother's voice still caught her attention. "Kairi, go to your room." _

_The little girl went to her room, sitting on the bed, watching the door as a tiny bird chirped at her from a cage. She could hear voices._

_"__Dilan? Aeleus? Braig? Is something wrong?"_

_"__We need you and your family to come with us." _

_"__Why?" _

_"__You will see." _

_"__Braig, I demand to know why you came here and what you want!" _

_"__Ugh, enough of this. Take them." _

_Something broke and shattered before a man with an eyepatch shoved open Kairi's door. "There you are." _

_Kairi barely saw her mother in the arms of a man with black hair, and her father fighting off a man with orange hair. Her grandmother lay on the floor beside a broken vase._

_She jumped, trying to rush past the man, but he grabbed her with one arm, pinning her under his arm as he walked back into the main room. _

_The man put cuffs on Kairi's grandmother as the orange-haired man finally pinned Kaimu down and cuffed him. _

_Kairi fought. Kicking, screaming, punching, biting. _

_She fought and fought until they came into what looked like a doctor's office. Her eyes fastened onto trays of needles beside a man with silver hair. _

_The silver-haired man took her in his arms, holding her tightly. "Took you long enough." _

_"__KAIRI!" _

_"__Get off!" Kairi glanced back to see her father manage to get his cuffed hands in front of him and charge her captor. "LET HER GO!" Kaimu slammed into them, grabbing his daughter. "I've got y- augh!" _

_A purple arrow stuck into his shoulder, splattering blood across Kaimu's face. Kairi heard herself scream as the silver-haired man pulled her away once more. He held her up to some sort of device for a moment. _

_"__Ah, so here you are at last. A princess under my very nose." He turned to the others. "Hold them here while I take care of the child."_

_"__NO!_

_"__DON'T TOUCH HER!" _

_"__KAIRI!" _

_"__MOMMY! DADDY!"_

_The screams of her family faded away as the man dragged a struggling Kairi into a room with a strange device. An open pod lay in the middle of the device. _

_"__I hope you perform well, child." _

_He dropped her into it. Kairi hit the back with a thud, knocking the wind from her lungs. The man walked to a console, closing the pod as Kairi sat up. Her small fists pounded on the pod as she screamed for someone, anyone, to help her._

_"__Farewell, Princess." _

* * *

Kairi broke down in tears again, hugging her legs to her chest after relating the dream.

Cat sat in silence for a while before pulling Kairi into a hug. "Kairi. Come to my office in the morning, alright. I'll help you through this. For now, just rest." The woman looked at Chirithy. "Please, take care of her for the night."

"I will, I promise. I won't let her have a single nightmare." Shadow and Bubbles popped into existence, looking over at Kairi. "None of us will."

"Thank you."

* * *

"**_Remember, just rest tonight._**"

Kairi silently nodded as the woman left, leaving Kairi to lay back on the bed, surrounded by dream eaters.

Riku shut off the feed. "Kairi…"

"D-do you think her parents survived. I mean, even if they became Heartless, they could be recompleted. Maybe…" Xion fiddled with her fingers lightly.

"Chances are slim." Isa muttered. "We became Nobodies, and maybe they did too, but if we haven't heard from them by now, they're probably not recompleted and probably not coming back."

"Ahh! We have to do something!" Hayner snapped. "We can't just give up on them! Kairi… she went through all that! If there's something we can do to bring her parents back, lets do it! We have to."

Even sighed. "_Your heart is in the right place, but even so, finding their Heartless and Nobodies would be next to impossible. Even if, say, you've destroyed their Heartless, what if their Nobody is still walking around, or vice versa. There is nothing we can do._"

Hayner continued to argue with Even about the situation as Riku stared at his own reflection in the computer screen.

Somehow, this had to be fixed. For Kairi's sake.

They could fix it…

Right?

* * *

**Well, that happened. **

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) Kairi's grandmother's name is in reference to Utada Hikaru, and her first name is actually Utada.

(2) If you remember in KH3, this is why the Lingering Will showed up.

(3) Doomtrain is a summon from Final Fantasy 8.

(4) This is part of a calming technique for someone having a panic attack.

(5) This is from "Norse Lullaby" a poem by Eugene Field.

* * *

_VAs: _

_Kaimu Utada- __Kaiji Tang (Osamu Dazai, Bill, Munehisa Iwai, Archer, Vegeta) _

_Clover Utada- __Erika Harlacher (Ann Takamaki, Violet Evergarden, Els, Nina)_


	22. Chapter 22

**So, this chapter will be very emotional. And I will give a warning just in case for anyone dealing with depression. **

**FYI, after this, I will be taking a KH break for a bit, so if I don't update for a bit that's why. If you want to keep up with my art and stuff, you can follow me on twitter and tumblr, and I'm updating original stuff on fictionpress. **

**So, on with the chapter. **

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

**My OCs © to me**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Thump**

* * *

_What am I?_

_Am a I curse?_

_Everything… everyone I get close to… they suffer._

_Sora is dead and it's all my fault…_

_My parents and grandmother are gone and it's all my fault…_

_Both of my home worlds were destroyed, and people lost forever._

_I never do anything right. _

_I try to help, but I just fail. _

_I get captured._

_I'm used as a tool to hurt the ones I love._

_My Keyblade is broken… like my heart. _

_Why did I think I could do this?_

_I can't rescue Sora… I'm too weak. I'm pathetic._

_Maybe…_

_Maybe things would be better_

_…_

_…_

_If I'd never been born._

* * *

"Kairi!" Magia smiled warmly as he sauntered over. "How are you feeling today?"

Kairi, looking up from her cup of warm tea, bit her lip. "I'm… tired. Drained. And I want just curl up in my bed with a cup of hot chocolate and do nothing."

"Then, you won't want to come out and scout with us. Turns out the LLE is willing to meet up and talk, so we're scouting out the location for traps and ambush positions."

"No. And Cat wants me to come see her."

Yozora laid his hand on her shoulder gently. "Just get some rest today. Leave the rest to us. Get this figured out." Aegis nodded.

She watched the three boys walk away before downing the rest of her tea.

Her body felt heavy as she stood up and trudged to the medical ward. Her head swam with thoughts and doubts.

"Good morning, Kairi." Cat stood outside the medical ward, smiling gently. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm ok."

"Want something to drink before we go in?"

Kairi nodded. "I'd like some hot cocoa if."

"Let's get that for you then."

Kairi waited until she held the small cup of steaming liquid before they went into the counseling room. Kairi sat down, holding the cup close. "So, what are we doing today?"

"First thing, we're going to take a little quiz." She handed Kairi a piece of paper. "Read each point and rate it on a scale of 1 to five for how strong this particular feeling is. On the line beside that tell me how frequently and how long you have felt that particular feeling. And please, answer honestly."

"Alright…"

Kairi looked at the paper, her stomach dropping at the first question. She didn't want to talk about this.

But, maybe.

Maybe Cat could help her.

* * *

_"__Has she said anything yet?"_

_"__Not yet. All she does is cry, and she won't say why." _

_Little Kairi listened from the bed Ms. Risa and Mr. Tai gave her. Apparently, they were taking her in. She'd washed up on the beach alone. _

_She remembered nothing. _

_But, somehow, she felt something. She felt like whatever happened before, happened because of her. __She couldn't help but feel sad… _

* * *

Kairi handed the test back to Cat.

"Thank you, Kairi. Do you know what this test is for?"

"No."

"This is a test to help me determine if you have major depression."

Depression…

"I feel like you do have some form of depression. Partially because you are in a state of grieving over Sora. Have you heard of the five stages of grief?"

"No."

"One of the stages is depression." Cat looked at the test. "Kairi… after yesterday, and everything I've seen and that you've told me in our sessions, I do believe you do have depression(2)."

The princess bit her lip.

She was depressed…? Actually, that would explain a lot.

"I'm not going to medicate you if that's what you think." Cat leaned back in her chair with a gentle smile. "We're going to work through it. And we will start with you."

* * *

_"__Everyone, this is our new student, Kairi. Kairi say hello." _

_…_

_"__It's ok if you're a little shy. Why don't you go sit down at that empty desk. Selphie, you can be her buddy and show her around the school." _

_"__Yes Miss Quistis_(1)_." _

_..._

_"__I heard that new girl is the person who washed up on the beach." _

_"__Mommy says she can't remember anything." _

_"__I heard my daddy say her mom and dad are probably dead." _

_"__My mommy thinks she was dumped by someone who didn't want her."_

* * *

"With me?"

"I'll explain in a minute. Now, understand, what we do won't get rid of your depression outright. But, it will help you be aware of some of the symptoms of depression. And, that will help you handle it."

Kairi clenched her fists. If she was depressed, why didn't she know this before? How did she not know?

Or…

Was she only fooling herself?

* * *

_"__Don't forget to give you mother a big hug on Mother's Day, Sunday!"_

_"__Except for Kairi. She doesn't have a mom!"_

_"__That's enough Zell! Kairi is going to have a mom. Mayor Risa and Mr. Tai are adopting her on Saturday." _

_"__But Miss Risa isn't her real mom." _

_"__She will still be her mom. Now, be quiet."_

* * *

"So, what is one of these symptoms you're talking about?"

Cat turned the page on her clipboard. "I've noticed something. You don't seem to think very highly of yourself. In and out of our sessions, you constantly talk down to yourself. Tell me honestly, what do you think of yourself?"

Kairi froze. What DID she think of herself?

* * *

_"__Kairi! Are you ok!?" _

_"__She fell, Ms. Risa!" _

_"__Tai, take her upstairs. Thank you, Sora for helping her. Can you tell me what happened?"_

_"__She was trying to beat me and Riku in climbing up the waterfall and she fell."_

_"__Thanks for telling me." _

_…_

_"__I've told you not to try and climb that waterfall. It's dangerous. You could've done worse than break your arm."_

_"__I-I just wanted to show Riku and Sora that I was as good as them." _

_"__Kairi, you don't have to be as good as them in everything. And you can do some things better than them. Just because they can do something, especially something they have been told not to do, does not mean you have to do it." _

_"__I'm not better than them at anything... I can't do anything well."_

_"__That's not true, sweetie. You can draw, and sew, and you write beautiful poetry and stories."_

_"__But I'm not good at that stuff either…"_

* * *

"I-I… I feel useless." The words began to pour out of her mouth like the tears that began falling from her eyes. "Everyone I love suffers. My mother and father. My grandmother. Sora. The islands. I'm a curse… I try to fight. I promised to save Sora, and yet I failed. I failed and he died! Twice he's died because he saved me! My keyblade is breaking and if it breaks, I can't save him. Maybe things would be better without me…"

* * *

_"__So, you're Kairi. Sora has been looking for you everywhere. I'm Aerith. It's nice to meet you."_

_"__And I'm Yuffie!"_

_"__I-It's nice to meet you too."_

_How was she supposed to smile? Sure, Sora was back, and her heart was back in her own body. _

_But, why did she have to wake up to Riku being possessed by some man who made her frightened for some reason. And… Sora dying before her eyes._

_Why? _

_She woke up to that. _

_She did bring him back, but that image would never leave her. _

_Sora disappearing before her eyes. Dying to save her. _

_She never wanted to see that again._

* * *

"Thank you for telling me. Have you felt this way for a long time?"

The girl nodded.

"Can you tell me the first time you remember feeling this way?" As she spoke, she pulled out a brightly colored toy gun and a package of little foam darts. Her eyebrow raised, waiting for an answer, as she loaded a little foam dart into the gun.

"What is that for?"

"Don't worry about that. Just tell me."

Kairi bit her lip. "I think… I started feeling that way when I was a little girl. I couldn't remember my family from before I washed up on the islands, but somehow I knew I was responsible, and their fates were my doing. And everyone kept bringing up the fact that I had no parents and was totally alone."

Thump.

A foam dart hit her leg.

Cat smiled. "Why don't you reword that last statement."

Reword it?

"And… everyone kept bringing up the fact that I had no parents and I had no one."

Thump.

"Try again."

Why? What else could she say? "I don't understand."

"Try again, but think about it. You and I both know you weren't really alone. But, you've told yourself that for so long that you tell yourself a lie. So, before you speak, I want you to think. Reword things so that you get rid of the lies you've told yourself, not just about situations, but about yourself."

The…lies?

* * *

_"__Who is Kairi writing to?" _

_"__Some person she calls Sora." _

_"__Who is that?"_

_"__She says that he used to live here and that we just don't remember him, but she does."_

_"__I think Kairi's losing it."_

_"__Yeah, she disappeared for a while too, and was talking crazy for a bit. I wonder if some lasting brain damage from her washing up on the beach is making her go nuts." _

_"__I can hear you, you know! I'm not crazy!"_

* * *

"And then Sora disappeared before my eyes. This was the first time He died before my eyes. And the first time I killed him."

Thump.

"The first time he died because of me."

Thump.

"The first time he died to save me."

No dart this time.

"The first time. And you blame yourself for both instances." Cat scribbled something down, her eyes fixing on Kairi. "But, I think you should understand that neither was your fault. If anyone was to be blamed for both instances, the blame really belongs to Sora."

Excuse me!? "It wasn't Sora's fa-"

"He made the decision to sacrifice himself. Yes, he did it to save you. Yes, he did it to undo what a horrible person has done. And the blame could be split between Sora and that man… Xehanort. But the person who is not at fault at all is you. Sora made the choice. Did you ever tell him how you felt about what happened?"

"No. But it wouldn't have stopped him from doing it again." Kairi clenched her fists.

Cat reached over and took the girl's hand. "I know this is hard. The thing is, you have told yourself so many lies. And it is not helping, actually, it is making things worse. You don't believe you can find Sora, do you?"

Kairi shook her head.

"But you want to try anyway."

"Yes."

"He means everything to you, so you push on. Do you think he believes in you?"

Kairi averted her eyes. "Yes. He always has."

"What about your other friends?"

_"__Well your track record on missions hasn't been the best."_

"Riku made a comment before I left. He said it… because he was scared something would happen to me. But it hurt. He basically said that I have a record of getting kidnapped a lot. And… I do."

Cat smiled softly. "Well, you haven't been kidnapped once yet. So, that's a good record, right?"

"Maybe. I try and fight back, but I'm just too weak t-"

Thump.

And, back with the darts.

"I try and fight back, but… I didn't have the skills to fight back the first time, and the second time I was wiped out from fighting(3)." The girl wrapped her arms around herself. "I felt so helpless both times. And someone else had to rescue me. I wanted to be strong, and so I promised Sora I would keep him safe."

"And did you?"

"No… well, kinda. I did help him once. He survived and said I'd kept him from fading away, but I didn't really do anything; I just believed in him. I didn't make that much of a dif-"

Thump.

Another dart rolled across the floor. And Kairi watched Cat load another dart into the toy gun.

"As you were saying, Kairi?"

"Well…"

This was going to be a long day…

* * *

_"__Are you sure… Kairi?" _

_"__There has to be something in my heart that could lead to Sora. I want to do it." _

_"__Alright. Lay down. We'll run some quick tests before we put you to sleep. How long do you want to sleep for."_

_…_

_"__For as long as it takes. I can't do anything else for Sora… I will do it. Don't wake me up until we have something." _

_"__Alright, Kairi." _

* * *

Riku lay on the grass, staring up at the warm orange sky. He worried about Kairi. After what he saw and had to tell her; how much pain would he bring to his friend?

After what he did to Kairi and Sora; he hurt his friends so much. He found them again, but then looking like Ansem. And now he told Kairi something that just… shattered her.

"What are you thinking?"

He sat up as Naminé and Terra walked over toward him. "Nothing."

"Well, I think I know that look. It's the one I get when I'm beating myself up. You know, the face I had yesterday and most of this morning."

Riku breathed out a laugh. "True."

Naminé smiled. "Why don't we grab Aqua and go to Dulcie's? I think it would be nice to get away from the mansion for a bit. And it might help you two calm down and relax."

"I guess."

"I'll go get her." The girl ran off, leaving the two young men alone.

Terra sighed. "We are a lot alike, and some of those similarities aren't that good."

"You mean we both tend to beat ourselves up too much."

"Basically." Terra sat down. "And I have to watch over Aqua and Ven. Though, not sure if I'm really a master and deserve that position."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"

"I was named a master by Master Xehanort(4), but does that count?"

"I mean, the old man was horrible, but he _was_ a Keyblade master. So, if he named you a master, it should count. Right?"

"Yes, it does." Aqua smiled as she stepped outside with Naminé. "He was a Keyblade master and so are you. Now, stop stressing. Let's go." She glanced between the two. "I know we're all worried about Kairi, but there is nothing we can do. It is out of our hands. And if we focus on something we can't do anything about, it will do nothing but make you feel bad and stress you out."

Riku sighed heavily. She was right.

He'd probably still be stressing about Kairi and Sora until they were back home.

But, he could do nothing about it right now.

* * *

"Cat, are you sure this will work?

"Kairi, this isn't going to make everything perfect overnight. What this is going to do is help you gain some control over how you feel. It will not get rid of everything, but sometimes, all you can do is focus on what is in front of you. When you are stressed and feel completely overwhelmed ignore what is in the far future. Just look at right is in front of you and do the next right thing(5)." She reached over, grabbing Kairi's hand. "And, for what it's worth, I think you are a very strong and brave girl."

"Y-you do?"

"Of course. Think about all you've told me. You've been hurt, kidnapped, killed. You endured life-changing trauma at a young age that gave you amnesia. You have endured so much, and you have doubted yourself so much… and still you left everything behind and came here. I don't know how far you've traveled, since you won't tell me, but you still came here to find the boy you loved. And you have fought every step of the way despite the way you feel."

The girl blushed at the compliment. "Well, some people might call that stu-"

Thump.

"You're brave. And I've only met one girl as brave as you before. Sadly, I can't remember her name."

The maiden.

The girl with brown hair that no one can remember.

"You really think I'm as brave as her?"

"I do." Cat handed her a small notebook. "So, tonight, I want you to relax. But, this is your homework. Now that you know," she gestured down at the foam darts around Kairi's feet, "how much negativity you tell yourself, I want you to try and catch yourself when you are thinking those thoughts. Every time you do, make a tally mark. Separate it by day, and you will see how many more times you catch yourself. I want you to come see me in three days."

Kairi smiled softly. "I will."

"And I need you to make me a promise. If things get really bad you will come to me. Promise me!"

"O-ok…"

Cat moved closer, hugging Kairi. "It's going to be alright. You're not alone."

Kairi closed her eyes, imagining herself in the arms of her mother. "Th-thank you, Cat. Thank you."

* * *

"Yozora, we need to get you to a doctor!"

"N-no… I'm fine."

"You're not! Now, unless you want to die, get out of here!"

"I-I'm f-fine…"

"Yozora! Yozora!"

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you guys after my break!**

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) This is Quistis Trepe from FF8.

(2) Someone made a post on tumblr detailing that they thought Kairi had depression and why. After reading it, I had to agree.

(3) As shown in Re:Mind, Sora and Kairi were magically restrained by Xemnas in a way that was painful and seemed to wipe them both out.

(4) In BBS, Master Xehanort made a point to call Terra "Master Terra" and basically named him master.

(5) Yes, this is from Frozen 2, and honestly, I think it's an amazing quote.


	23. Chapter 23

**So I've got Melody of Memory already on my switch. Now, can I take the power to time travel in Animal Crossing and transfer it to real life so November will come faster. **

**Though, I probably won't have this fic done before MoM comes out…**

**Whatever, let's get on with the chapter.**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Marie © to Valk!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 23: Toxic**

* * *

Kairi flopped back on her bed. "You know, this explains a lot."

"What you learned today?"

She nodded as Chirithy hopped up onto the bed. "What do you think Sora would say if I told him that I'm depressed?" She laughed dryly. "I bet he'd do everything he could to make me smile."

"Sounds about right." Chirithy took a paper from Kairi's hand. "'Ten Natural Depression Treatments'?"

"The last thing Cat gave me. She said these things might help, combined with other things."

"Make a routine. Set goals. Exercise. Eat healthy. Get enough sleep. Take on Responsibilities. Challenge negative thoughts. Check with your doctor before trying supplements. Try something new. Try to have fun(1)." The dream eater looked up. "Well, you can do some of these things easily."

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. Some I already do. The routine, goals, sleep, responsibilities. And we talked all day about that negative thoughts thing. Maybe I should try something new."

"Well, you like writing and crafty things."

"Yeah." She ran a hand through her hair. "Grandma always wanted me to pick up sewing and quilting. Maybe I could try it."

"Bet Lucky can get you material and a sewing kit."

"Yeah. I bet she can."

Chirithy hopped further up onto the bed, patting the pillow. "But we can deal with that tomorrow. Get some rest."

The girl took one last glance at the paper from Cat before she laid down, listening to the world around her. People seemed to be moving around outside a little more than usual, but she felt way too emotionally exhausted right now to investigate.

She felt the dream eaters appear around her, the squeaks of Shadow and Bubbles making her smile as she slipped under the bedsheets and flicked the lights off.

Her eyes closed, allowing her to slip into deep sleep.

She didn't even visit anyone in her dream.

Just calm sleep.

* * *

Her eyes felt heavy as Kairi walked down to breakfast. She slept hard and coffee sounded really good right now.

People kept glancing at her, muttering to each other. A tense cloud hung over the base for some reason.

Coffee first.

Then she could focus.

"Kairi?" Alexis stood behind her, carrying a breakfast taco wrapped in foil.

Kairi took a drink of her coffee. "Something wrong?"

"Oh yeah, you don't know."

The coffee cup stopped halfway to her lips. "Don't know what?"

Alexis sat down. "Yesterday, Yozora got hurt on the mission."

"Wait, weren't they supposed to talk to the LLE!?"

"It was an ambush." The young woman sighed. "Those new gigas, the Doomtrain, attacked them. Yozora was poisoned."

The princess leapt to her feet. "What!? Why didn't anyone tell me!?"

Alexis gently held up a hand. "Cat told us not to. She said you needed to relax yesterday. But if you're up for it, we can go see him."

"Yes."

The two young women hurried down to the medical bay. Kairi saw Hercshal pacing outside with Magia and Aegis.

"Guys?"

"Kairi." Magia smiled sadly. "You feeling better?"

"It doesn't matter how I feel. Yozora's hurt… maybe if I'd been there, he'd-"

"Shut up." Aegis snapped. "It wouldn't have mattered. We checked that area over all day and they still got the drop on us. Yozora was attacked right away and poisoned before we even knew we were being attacked. There was nothing you could've done if you were there."

Magia sighed. "At least we got him back in time. Doc says he'll be alright."

Hercshal tapped his cane on the ground. "Where did the gigas go?"

"Um, they didn't really leave. We've tracked them all night and they know it."

Kairi bit her lip. "Tell me everything."

"There's no way they should've caught us like that." Aegis leaned against a wall. "We cased the area around the meeting all day, sealed off entrances, but somehow they got in the meeting area anyway. The LLE guys had barely greeted us before a giga jumped down on Yozora, slashing him with a poison-laced blade. Three came down after the one, five more after that one, and four more sealed off the exits. We fought as long as we could, Yozora insisted. He passed out and we retreated."

Hercshal tightened his grip on his cane. "Poison is a dirty and cruel way to harm people, and to create an entire weapon based around it just makes the LLE as cruel as anything that comes from the door."

That maybe have been the most and strongest emotion the old man showed before Kairi.

Aegis took a step toward the driver. "What's the plan?"

"We take them out. All of them." Hercshal picked up his cane, marching out of the medical ward. "The three of you, with me."

"Wait, what?"

"Kairi, come on." Magia smirked. "We're going giga hunting."

She trotted along behind them as the three went down and climbed into a jeep. She scrambled into the seat next to Hercshal. "Shouldn't we call for some backup?"

"No."

Hercshal started the car. "We're doing this ourselves. Backup would draw attention. And I will not allow someone to use poison to hurt any more people."

"Take us to the red-light district in Shinjuku. That was the meeting place. It should be clear of civilians."

"Why did you set up a meeting there?"

"We could clear it out easier and faster. Flash badges and military papers and people scram. But we need to move fast; we have this area under surveillance and the moment we get in we have a time limit until backup arrives and pulls us out." Magia grunted.

They pulled around toward an alley. Signs that probably normally made the street glow, lay dark. Nightclubs. Restaurants. Host clubs.

Street stalls lay like people dropped everything in a hurry, probably moved by the military so they'd be out of the line of fire.

Hercshal parked the jeep. "Stay close together. We need to keep our distance."

"Didn't you say the gigas were here?"

Aegis pushed up his glasses. "Most likely, they're in and out of the buildings patrolling for any survivors. I think they know we've got them under surveillance."

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Loud footsteps came from out of a nightclub.

A nine-foot robot burst through the door. A skull-like face rested upon a scrawny metal frame with copper colored ribs. Instead of hands, it had a giant needle as its left arm and a sword for the right arm. Capsules on each shoulder fed a purple liquid into each arm with long tubes.

Poison pumped through the tubes into the blade and the giant needle. Kairi's stomach turned at the thought of what that purple liquid could do to a person. "So, what's the plan?"

"This." Hercshal lifted up his cane, twisting it and pressing a button. The end of the cane expanded becoming a shotgun. Kairi barely had time to process this before he fired a shot.

The left canister shattered.

The giga turned, charging at the old man. But Aegis put up a shield, letting the giga slam into it. It stumbled back, allowing the young man to pull out his sword, slashing it in two.

"One down, twelve to go. We have less than five minutes."

Hercshal pumped this shotgun. "Magia, with me. You two, cover us."

From alleys and buildings tromped more gigas.

But Kairi and Aegis never moved. Hercshal and Magia cut them down one after another.

"This is wrong." Aegis narrowed his eyes. "They were not this easy to defeat yesterday."

"Well of course. These have been compromised."

Kairi barely managed to turn and put up a shield as a metal object slammed into it. Her assailant jumped back, hauling a large metal hammer with him. He wore a white shirt, dark gray pants, black gloves and boots, a metal breastplate, and a burnt orange hooded coat.

A cream mask with a pointed top covered the top half of his face. The mask bore two bronze crossing sticks and two black eye-holes bored into the two.

"Nero!" A woman in the same outfit grabbed the man by her arm. "You fool!"

"Oh, come on Livia(2). These kids would be a thorn in our side anyway. We should take them out now."

Aegis hefted up his sword. "Livia and Nero. Two of the LLE's top four. Your faces haven't been seen in three years."

"Oh yeah, the boss calls you the human calculator… Aegis right?" Nero tapped his chin. "But, no one said anything about the lovely doll with you."

Kairi grit her teeth. "Aegis, what's the plan?"

"Arrest them."

He ran toward Nero, clashing his blade against the man's hammer. "Aw, are you mad we put the prince in the hospital?"

"You were supposed to meet us. Talk it out."

"This suited us much better."

The woman, Livia stepped away from her partner, looking just about ready to leave him behind.

But.

"Listen, kid, you really don't want to step in the middle of this."

"I'm doing my job." Kairi brandished her Keyblade. "And I'm in the middle of an emotional mess, so right now, I could use some way to distract myself."

Livia huffed. "Children." Leaping forward, she slammed her fist in Kairi's chest.

The girl gasped, something cracking in her chest. "Oh… ow." Switching her Keyblade to Hippocratic Oath, she felt her outfit shift to the red and white one. "That really hurt."

"One last chance, child. Back off or leave in a body bag."

Casting Cure, the girl felt the pain in her chest vanish. "I'm angry. I'm tired. And way to stubborn to quit now." She leapt backwards, unleashing a powerful Fira at the other woman. Livia dodges, but the princess continued to fire spells over and over, keeping her opponent at a distance.

Her Keyblade transformed into its shield form as Livia threw a punch. "And how are you going to cast magic now?"

"I'm not."

Shoving as hard as she could, the girl pushed the shield upward into Livia's face.

"Kairi. With me!" Aegis grabbed her arm.

She jumped back with him. "Yeah?"

"That thing you do with the shield. Can we do it with one of mine?"

"I-I uh, yeah. I think."

"Good." He put up a large shield as Nero and Livia lunged at them. "Now what?"

Kairi waited until their assailants leapt at them before releasing a burst of magic. It shattered, magic and fading shield stabbing the robed figures in an explosion of green and white light(3).

"Nero. We can't be caug-"

"I know!" The two figures took off, only for a truck to pull up before them. They jumped in, as the vehicle sped off.

Kairi dismissed her weapon. "Who were they?"

"Two of the LLE's big four. There is a boss at the top, and right below him is Nero, Livia, Faustus, and Severina. Livia and Nero were probably the two who were supposed to meet us here, or better yet, oversee the ambush."

"Why send gigas like those and let us kill them today!?" Magia stomped over, he and Hercshal having finished off the Doomtrains.

Aegis cleaned his glasses. "They said these units were now 'compromised'. We probably faced off with some prototypes. Most likely, the ambush was the test run. Next time we face them, they might be stronger and their poison might be more potent."

Joys.

Hercshal huffed. "Poison… it's such a cowardly way to harm others. Instead of facing them, they resort to underhanded tactics."

"You… really don't like poison."

Hercshal walked past her. "Get in the jeep. The backup should be here to make us leave, so we should just leave now."

"Sure…"

She looked at her squad-mates, hoping one of them would answer her query without making her push their driver.

Neither of them said a word.

Just great.

* * *

As the hours ticked by, Kairi's pen scratched across her notepad.

After she and the others returned, Alexis and Aiko gave them one heck of a lecture. Though, the information they brought, calmed her slightly.

Aegis and Magia went with her to give a report. Hercshal went… somewhere. And Kairi-

Kairi found herself sitting in a chair beside Yozora. He looked pale, and purple veins stretched across his skin.

He hadn't woken up at all.

But Atlas said he should wake up soon. Hopefully.

"You're still here?"

"Yeah."

Hercshal walked in, sitting on the other side of the room. "Where are the boys?"

"Reporting to the general." The girl folded up her notebook, glancing over at Yozora. "Where did you go?"

"I needed to let my wife know I wasn't dead. She hates it when I go out into the field. Says I'm 'too old to be running around with those kids like that'."

"I didn't know you were married."

The driver smiled. "I am. I have children and grandchildren too. My wife's name is Marie."

"That's a nice name." The girl looked up, her eyes meeting his. "Why were you so angry about poison earlier?"

"Oh, you don't know." He pulled a cloth out of his pocket and began to wipe down his cane. "I've worked for the king's family for years. I took care of the king himself when he was young. And that put me in a spotlight with both Hayate and Yozora. And put a target on me. Yozora was just a child at the time, but someone wanted him dead. They came to me and tried to make me give them access to Yozora. I refused… so they poisoned Marie."

"I-I'm sorry…"

"She's fine now. But when I see people using poison, it just… makes me furious."

Kairi opened her mouth, only for Yozora to groan, his eyes opening slightly. "Yozora!"

Hercshal smiled, standing up. "I'll get the doctor." He passed by Kairi, dropping something in her hands.

"Wh…" The young man glanced around the room, his eyes resting on Kairi. "What happened…" He gasped. "Ow."

Kairi smiled as Atlas entered and began to lecture the prince on being more careful.

Everything seemed normal again.

Maybe it would stay that way for a while.

* * *

"Can we come in?"

"Yes." Aqua called. The others came in to see Kairi on the screen. She stood in a room with a blonde girl.

_"__Here ya go! Not sure what it will look like, but we can try it." The blonde girl handed Kairi a small orb._

_Kairi pulled out a keychain made of a pin that looked like a quill pen. "Alright Stella." _

_"__Who gave you this one?"_

_"__Hercshal."_

_"__Aw, really. You know why?" _

_Kairi paused. "Uh, no… he just kinda handed it to me." _

_"__Would you like to know why?" The old man in question entered the room. He grinned. "By the way, Yozora is doing much better."_

"Yozora?"

Riku glanced over at Jiminy. "You know the name?"

"Oh yeah," Goofy gasped, "in Toy Box."

_Kairi smiled. "Good. And yes, I would love to know why." _

_"__This is why." He pulled out a photo from his wallet. "This is me and my dear, Marie."_

_Kairi looked at the photo. Hercshal looked almost the same, but without the bushy mustache. But the girl, she had red hair and green eyes with a hint of blue in them. _

_"__She looks like Kairi." _

_"__That she does." He put the photo away. "Now, I would like to see this keyblade that small pin of mine can make." _

_Kairi switched out the keychain. Her Keyblade changed to a long metal shaft with gray and brown feathers making up the blade. Something that looked like a blue necktie served at the guard around the black handle with bronze rings. _

_"__It's called… Fanciful Honor."_

_"__Oh!" Stella bounced on her heels. "Make it change! Make it change!" _

_Kairi giggled as she attacked a training dummy. _

_The Keyblade changed, as did her outfit. The blade changed into a rapier with feathers for the guard. _

_Kairi's outfit changed to a black hat, coat, and boots with soft blue accents. Her sweater changed to white and her pants to a dark teal. The tops of her boots and emblem on her arm was copper(4)._

_She continued to fight until her rapier changed into two flintlock pistols. _

_Hercshal nodded. "I approve." _

_"__I'm sure you do." _

The conversation continued with nothing really standing out. Lea sighed. "At least she seems to be doing alright today."

"Yeah."

Riku turned toward Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy. "So, who is Yozora?"

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) I got this list from my own counselor.

(2) Nero and Livia are named for Livia sas Junius and Nero tol Scaeva from Final Fantasy XIV.

(3) This is Aegis and Kairi's limit: Planetcracker.

(4) This is Kairi's Formal Form.

* * *

_VAs: _

_Nero- __Mike Rock (Nero the Sable, Tanner, Aaron Winsby, Mr. Sirota, Toby) _

_Livia- __Alison Lees Taylor (Livia sas Junius, Tira, Judith, Rosea, Cleopatra, Julia)_


	24. Chapter 24

**So, the title of this chapter should tell you something about what will go down soon.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**Liv and my OCs © to me!**

**Saraswati © to me and NJoy!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners! **

* * *

**Chapter 24: In the Eye of the Storm**

* * *

Yozora's pencil scratched across the paper. He sat in the hospital bed, unable to do anything but sit there.

"What are you drawing?" Kairi walked over, glancing at the drawing. "That's really good. Is it who I think it is?"

"Yeah…"

The picture of a young woman adorned the page, but with a blank face. Her hair fell around her shoulders. "Are you trying to remember her face?"

"Yeah."

Magia leaned over, looking at the drawing. "Maybe focus on one feature at a time. Like start with her lips or nose."

Kairi looked around the bed at crumpled pieces of paper all around. But, these weren't drawings of the maiden. These looked like tech schematics.

But, why would Yozora be working on schematics while in bed?

"Alright." Atlas stormed in. "I'm tired of you three hanging around like wet laundry. Yozora will be out tomorrow, and I want you out today!"

"Oh, come on doc."

"Don't 'come on doc' me, Magia. Out!"

Aegis sighed. "Come on you two, we can wait in the waiting room."

"No." Aiko stepped into the doorway. "You three have sat in this room, ate in this room, and even slept in this room for three days straight. Get off base. Get some air. Actually, I order you three to go off base today. Now get."

"Whatever…" Magia shoved his hands in his pocket.

Kairi followed the two boys out of the room, hearing the voices behind her.

"Why did you make them leave?" Yozora questioned.

"Well, they hadn't left at all and Atlas was tired of them, for one." Aiko replied. "And two, it probably isn't best for Kairi to be cooped up here after what happened with her a few days ago. Cat suggested we have her leave base for a while."

"I guess that makes sense."

So that's why.

Kairi hung behind the two boys till they made it to the exit. "So, should we go do something together?"

"You can. I have somewhere else to go." Aegis pushed up his glasses, not making eye contact with either of them. With that, he walked away.

Magia sighed. "He always does this. On our days off like this he runs off by himself. Tells Yozora and I to stay away."

"Well, then what should you and I do?"

The young man pushed his fedora up, eyes sparkling. "You know what? We should follow him. Find out what this secret place he visits is! What do you say?"

"Um, well…"

"Come on, Kairi! It'll be fun! And you can see some new parts of the city!"

"I guess."

"Great! Let's go."

* * *

Riku's head felt cold as it lay against the metal of the computer terminal. The whirring of gears behind the monitors was almost calming, lulling most people on computer-duty to sleep within minutes.

Riku had been there for a day at least.

"That's it." A hand grabbed the back of the boy's shirt, pulling him off the chair. Riku staggered, his head spinning. "I'll take care of the computer. Get out of here."

"Wha?" Riku blinked, Isa's face coming into view moments later.

"You heard me. All you do is sulk around the computer. I know you're worried, but you can't stay here." The blue-haired man sat down, his dog running up beside him as he did so. "There's a festival in town this whole week. Go enjoy it."

"What about you?"

"I don't do festivals. Never have. Too many people. Go."

Riku rubbed his foggy eyes as he trudged out of the lab.

Maybe he was sulking, but whatever. He still felt bad about having to tell Kairi about her parents.

He didn't have time for a festival.

"Riku!" Mickey smiled as he came into the main hall. "We're all going to the first night of the festival. What about you?"

"Should we really be going to festival right now?"

Goofy smiled. "We talked about it, and we think it's a good idea."

"Yeah!" Donald added. "And Sora would do the same. He always liked to take some time to relax when we could." The duck glanced at Goofy. "Remember in Corona when he danced in the square with Rapunzel and all the others?"

"Hyuck, sure do! That was such a fun day!"

Looking at the two smiling, Riku couldn't help but smile himself. These two… they were trying to channel Sora as much as possible to keep the spirits of everyone up. "I guess you're right. Are the others already there?"

"Lea took them to go help set up. Apparently the whole town gets involved in this."

"Hey, are you guys coming?" Roxas opened the front door, poking his head in. "The festival is about to start."

"We're coming."

They walked out into the setting sun and down the path to town. "Roxas," Riku asked, "do you know what the festival is for?"

"They talked about it in school. It's called the Harvest Nights festival. All the farms and vineyards outside of town start harvesting their crops about this time, and this is the only week in the year that the sun actually sets all the way(1). Each day of the week, the sun sets further and further. On the last day it completely goes down. Each day, something different is done to celebrate. Tonight is a big dance and talent showcase."

Well, that sounded fun.

Roxas opened the entrance to town.

Everything looked different. Lights and streamers hung from every window and over every street. Banners depicting a sunset against a deep blue background lined the streets.

"Wow!"

"People started setup at six this morning. We get the whole week off from school too."

Cheers rang out from near the bistro. The group ran over to see Terra smiling as people clapped.

"Hey, there you guys are." Olette jogged over.

"What's going on?"

The girl giggled. "Terra just smoked my dad in a push-up contest."

"Hey! I didn't lose by that much!" A man with short, spiked black hair, held back by a red bandana ruffled the girl's hair. He grinned at them, a toothpick sticking out from between his teeth. "Name's Biggs(2). By what Olette's told me, I bet I could guess who you guys are."

A woman with soft brown hair in a ponytail poked out from behind Biggs. "Yeah. Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and Riku right? Oh, name's Jessie, I'm Lettie's mom."

"Mom! I've told you not to call me Lettie! I'm not five anymore."

Jessie laughed. "Sorry, can't help it."

"Well," Biggs grinned, "I need to go. We're on patrol tonight." He flashed a police badge. "Don't want anything to ruin the party."

"Talk like that and you might jinx it." Another man walked over, a red bandana over his black hair, Pence followed behind him.

"Hey guys!"

Riku smiled. "So, is this your dad, Pence?"

The man grinned. "Yep, I'm Wedge. Pence has told me all about you guys. Now, I'd love to chat, but if someone, Zell(3) is going to throw a fit about you slacking."

"I get it! I get it!" Biggs let out a long sigh. "Have fun, Olette."

"I will Dad!"

Jessie patted her daughter's head as her husband walked off with Wedge. "I've gotta go too. I'm helping Saraswati set up some performances for tonight. Enjoy your day." She left as well.

"Where are the others?"

"All over." Olette smiled. "Terra, do you know where the others went?"

"Xion had rehersal. Apparently, she and some of the others in her play are performing tonight. Aqua and Ven are helping set up in the sandlot. As for Axel… no clue."

* * *

"So, where do you think Aegis goes?" Magia tapped his chin. "I wonder if he has a secret girlfriend."

Kairi smiled. "Maybe."

"If he does have a secret girlfriend, what would she be like?"

The girl ran a hand through her hair. "Not sure. But she would have to be patient. He's got a very abrasive personality. But it could be something different, something like a secret training ground."

"Maybe. He does like to train. Or maybe he goes to some all you can eat buffet. He could count how many plates he ate."

The two walked through Shinjuku, following in the crowd. Out of sight from Aegis, who gave no sign that he realized he'd been followed.

"Why haven't you followed him before?"

"Yozora wouldn't let me."

Well, that made sense. Kairi felt kind of bad for spying on her friend, but maybe… maybe something good could come of it. Honestly, she could use something good.

Aegis turned a corner and walked into a building.

They found it.

"Wait… this is it? This is his secret place!?"

A spa?

"A spa!? Really!? How boring!"

A spa sounded really nice. Kairi patted her pockets; she should have enough gil for a spa day. The last few days seemed so wild and stressful, they were more like a bad dream. "I'm going in. You can leave if you want."

"Hold on!" The young man followed her inside.

Kairi looked around at the soft mint-green walls lined with ivy. A woman with long black hair and glasses smiled at them from behind a counter. "Welcome to Lakshmi's Bliss(4). My name is Liv. How may I he-" She cocked her head to the side. "Wait, are you in the military?"

"Yes. My name is Kairi, and this is Magia."

Liv gasped. "Oh my goodness! Finally!" She clapped her hands. "You two get in free!"

"Huh?"

"I told Aegis that if he ever brought friends I'd let them in free because he never brings friends!" She grabbed Kairi's hand, shaking it. "Aegis is my cousin, and I've been so concerned! I thought he had no friends! Come!" She dragged Kairi back into the spa, Magia laughing as he followed.

They walked into a room where they found Aegis laying back in a chair, eyes closed, and his glasses resting on a nearby table. He opened one eye and-

"You followed me!?" He shot up, squinting at them.

Kairi wondered how bad his vision was without glasses, but it probably wasn't hard to identify them even with blurry vision.

"Magia's idea."

"Hey!"

Aegis grabbed his glasses, sliding them onto his face. "Of course it was." He groaned. "Ok, fine. You know now."

"Why keep this a secret?" Magia asked. "We could've all come."

"Because I wanted to."

Or because he was embarrassed. But Kairi wasn't about to say that out loud.

"Aegis, you're just embarrassed." Never mind. Liv said it. "So, what are your names?"

"I'm Magia, and this is Kairi."

Liv grinned. "Magia. Kairi. You two are always welcome here, and consider today a free trial to try anything you like here."

"Thanks so much!" Magia immediately removed his button down shirt to reveal the tank top beneath it. "I'm getting a massage!"

Kairi giggled. Her eyes caught a splash of color on her friend's arm. "Magia, I saw this when we did that photoshoot, but you never told me you had a tattoo."

"Huh? I didn't?" He pulled his shirt back a little to reveal a red flower tattooed on his back and part of his arm. "Yeah, it's a chrysanthemum. It symbolizes joy and long life. I want to get a few more. I'm thinking some sakura petals or a lotus flow-"

The young man jumped as his phone began to ring. He pulled it out, eyes widening as he saw the caller ID; Kairi saw it for a moment before her friend answered.

"Pops".

Magia's father?

"Yeah?" Magia listened for a moment. "Yeah. I'll be there." He ended the call with a sigh. "Never mind the massage." He put his button down back on. "Got a family matter that just came up. I've gotta go."

Aegis nodded. "Alright."

"And don-"

"I won't leave Kairi by herself. I know she doesn't know the city. I'll wait here."

Magia grinned. "I'll hold you to that. Later!" And away he ran.

"Well, he can come back another time." Liv grinned. "So, Miss Kairi, are you ready to relax?"

"Oh yes. After the week I've had, I could use it."

Liv cocked her head slightly. "Rough week?"

"Yeah."

"On a scale of 1 to 10 how rough?"

"20."

"Oh gosh!" The woman gasped. "Girl, we are going to get you the full treatment! You need it!"

Kairi took a step back. "There's no need to do that. I'm fine. I'll just do something simple."

"No way! If it's been a 20 kind of week you are going to relax whether you like it our not!" Liv grabbed her arm, dragging her to another room. "And it starts now!"

"HOLD ON! Aegis! How do I stop her!?"

"Give up now. She's as stubborn as me. Maybe worse."

"You're no help!"

"Accept it and relax. You need it. And it's free since… since we're friends."

Friends.

He saw her as a friend.

* * *

"Hey!" Naminé waved.

Riku smiled. "Hey Nami. What are you up to?"

"I'm helping Hayner's mom with a mural!" The girl pointed at a partially finished chalk mural on the side of a building. The swirls of color and little dancing figures filled the wall, all done in Naminé's art style. A woman stood on a ladder, writing out what seemed to be lines of a poem with a dark blue piece of chalk.

"It looks great."

"Thank you."

"Of course it does," called a new voice, "your friend is a great artist, and my wife's poetry is phenomenal."

A man with blond hair, the front spiked upwards, blue eyes, and a black tattoo on the left side of his face held the ladder for the woman writing. "Name's Zell. I bet you're Hayner's friends."

Mickey smiled. "We are. You must be his dad."

"That's right. And the lovely lady on the ladder is my wife, Emily(5)."

"Zell," Emily chided gently, "you're shaking the ladder. I really don't want to fall."

"Sorry honey."

Terra looked up at the mural. "Well, you guys are doing a great job."

"Thanks." Naminé clutched her piece of chalk close. "I could use some help really quick to finish the drawing." She pointed to the top. "I'm kinda short, and the ladder is in use."

Riku and Terra glanced at each other. "I think we can help." They both knelt down, side by side. "Sit on our shoulders."

"Oh, I didn't mean that way. You could go find a ladder or-"

"Or you could use two tall people as your ladder."

The girl let out a sigh before sitting on the two boys' shoulders. They stood up, hoisting her into the air. The little blonde girl reached out, finishing up the last few pieces of her drawing.

"Thank you."

Riku reached up, holding her hand as he and Terra knelt back down. "No problem."

"Naminé," Emily looked down, "thank you. The dance should be starting soon, so go have fun."

"Alright. Thanks Mrs. Emily."

From the sandlot, music began to waft down the street. The dance had begun.

When the group entered the sandlot, they heard cheering and laughter. In the center of the sandlot they saw Ven dancing around. He seemed so happy, laughing as he ran over to Aqua. "Your turn!"

"Alright." The two switched places, and Aqua began to gracefully dance. She twirled, and jumped, a smile shining on her face. Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and Terra moved into the crowd to cheer her on.

"Guys," Xion dashed over, "have you seen Axel?"

"No. What's up?"

"Ms. Jessie and Ms. Folia are looking for my theatre teacher. She was last seen talking with him."

Hayner walked over. "No need. Found him." He grinned, his eyes glinting slightly. "You've gotta see this!" He ran out of the sandlot. Down the street he paused outside their gang's usual spot. He held a finger to his lips and pointed inside.

Riku, Naminé, Roxas, Xion, Pence, and Olette all glanced inside.

Axel stood with a woman. A woman almost as tall as him. The woman had warm brown skin and short black hair. She giggled, her cheeks darkening slightly.

The teens pulled back. Xion covered her mouth. "Th-that's Ms. Saraswati, my theatre teacher!"

"Axel's got the hots for your teacher!"

Riku held back a snicker as he leaned back. "Axel! Hey Axel!"

"What are you doing!?" Roxas hissed.

"We were supposed to find them both right?"

"Huh?" Axel stepped out, his eyes full of suspicion. "What are you doing here?"

Pence grinned. "My mom and Ms. Jessie were looking for someone, and she was last seen talking to you."

"Oh, you mean Saraswati?" The teens nodded. "Well, if I see her I'll send her their way. Sound good?"

"Sounds good." Riku smirked. "Come on guys." He led the way back toward the sandlot. "So, that's your teacher? She's pretty."

"And very tall." Naminé added.

"They're both practically trees."

Hayner snickered. "Well those two trees are getting close. Maybe they'll make a forest one day(6)."

"Hayner!"

Roxas, Xion, and Naminé paused. "Make a forest?"

"Don't ask. Hayner is being stupid."

When the group got back, they watched the dancing for a little while until the woman, Ms. Saraswati, came back. She smiled at them. "Hello! Xion, are you ready to perform tonight?"

"I am!"

"Then let's go. Ms. Jessie and Ms. Folia are waiting."

The girl nodded, following her teacher away.

Everyone scattered as the dancing went on. All but Riku and Naminé.

Riku watched as people, specifically couples, moved onto the dance floor. They swirled around and around, dazzling the onlookers.

His eyes focused on the dancers, and for a moment, just for a moment, he saw Sora and Kairi in the middle of them all. He could see them. Smiling. Dressed up like royalty.

They looked so happy.

They were together.

They were happy.

"Riku, what's wrong? You're crying."

He reached up, feeling the water on his face. "N-nothing Nami…"

"It's Sora and Kairi right?"

Why was she so good at figuring out what he felt?

"Yeah. I can almost see them there, dancing. I just want them to be happy. They have something special, always have. But, then people like Xehanort use that against them, to tear them apart. I just…" This time, he felt the tears come down. "I just want them to finally be happy. I want to see them out there, dancing, smiling…"

Her hand reached out, touching his arm. "Well, we… we could… we could dance in their honor."

"What?"

"Maybe not out there but…"

Riku smiled. "Thank you, Naminé." He quietly turned, walking out of the sandlot. He could hear the blonde's boots clicking against the stone as she followed him.

Out of town. Into the woods.

He stopped.

"No one will see us out here." Naminé smiled. "So, may I have this dance?"

"Yeah."

* * *

"_How is it looking?_"

Isa scratched his dog behind the ears as he stared at the screen. "Looks good on my end, Ansem."

"_Good. We should be able to create a gateway to wherever Kairi is now. So, as soon as she finds Sora, we can get them back._"

"That's good."

Outside the doors. Outside the mansion. Someone in a black coat stood, staring down at a device in his hand. He clicked his teeth. "Well, well. They actually did it." He put the device in his pocket. "But, we can't have the lovebirds getting back here… now can we?"

* * *

**The calm before the storm is now over, so BUCKLE UP! **

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) Thanks people of the rarepair server for help with this idea!

(2) Yes, this is Biggs from FF7, specifically using FF7 remake for reference. Same with the other FF7 characters that appear: Wedge, Jessie, and Folia.

(3) This is Zell from FF8. 

(4) This is a reference to the primal from FF14 Lakshimi, also known as the Lady of Bliss

(5) In FF8 there's a girl, only known as "library girl with a pigtail" that has a thing for Zell, and she can be seen at dinner with him in at the end of the game. This is that girl. She's been named Emily as a reference to the poet Emily Dickinson.

(6) Valk, I blame you for this joke.

* * *

_VAs: _

_Liv- __Erin Cottrell (Scarlet, Ouorra, Caetuna, Tilley Anderson, Elisabeth, Mercy)_

_Biggs Emery- __Gideon Emery (Biggs, Seiya, Weasel, Fergus Reid, Orca, Urianger)_

_Jessie Emery- __Erica Lindbeck (Jessie, Futaba Sakura, Blaze the Cat, Celica, Barbie)_

_Wedge Jones- __Matt L. Jones (Wedge, Percy, Erg, Drip, Gunther Magnuson, Kyle)_

_Folia Jones- __Erica Luttrell (Ms. Folia, Sapphire, Mercy Graves, Emily Kaldwin)_

_Zell Dincht- __Todd Haberkorn (Natsu Dragneel, Death the Kid, Sho Minazuki)_

_Emily Dincht- __Cherami Leigh (Makoto Niijima, Lucy Heartfilia, Asuna Yuki)_

_Saraswati Kaur- __Freida Pinto (Queen Shanti, Messua, Vera Stephans, Eva)_


	25. Chapter 25

**As Samuel L. Jackson would say…**

**Hold on to your butts!**

**Kingdom Hearts © Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners! **

* * *

**Chapter 25: Chrysanthemum**

* * *

"I've never felt so relaxed in all my life!" Kairi stretched as she sat with Lucky and Stella.

"How did you afford a full spa package!? I want one!"

"The owner gave it to me."

"No fair!" Stella angrily downed a soda "Think she'll give us discounts for being military?"

Lucky shrugged. "She might." She handed Kairi a soda. "Well, I'm just happy you're feeling better. I know you're going through some tough stuff, but we are all here for you."

"Thanks Lucky."

Kairi smiled, her heart warming with the words from her friend.

Stella grinned. "That's right! We're all besties now! Um, at least I think we are…"

"Yeah," Kairi giggled, "I'd say we're besties by this point."

"BESTIES!"

**_ATTENTION ALL SOLDIERS._**

**_WE HAVE A CODE YELLOW. _**

**_CODE YELLOW._**

**_GO TO YOUR STATIONS. _**

"Oh crap!" Lucky and Stella leapt up.

"What's code yellow?"

"Emergency! Only to be used if there's an attack or city-wide emergency!" Lucky grabbed her uniform. "Go get changed! Hurry!"

Kairi leapt up, running into her room. She threw on the lights, startling a napping Chirithy. "Kairi!?"

"Can't talk! Emergency!"

"At this hour!?"

"City-wide emergencies don't work on typical work hours." She buttoned up her coat and threw on her hat. "You coming?"

The dream eater sighed. "Sure. I'll stay with Stella." He jumped into Kairi's arms as the girl hurried out of her room and down the hall. "Stella!"

"Yeah."

"Take Chirithy!" She tossed the dream eater over and broke into a run. "Yozora, where are we meeting?"

"Meet in the medical ward. I'm getting discharged now."

"Alright."

The base, despite the late hours, seemed more alive than ever. People scurried about like agitated ants.

The loudspeakers beeped before Aiko's voice rang throughout base.

**_"_****_THE YAKUZA HAVE DEEMED THE LLE A THREAT TO THE CITY AND HAVE DECLARED WAR ON THEM. WE ARE GOING TO CONTAIN AND STOP THE VIOLENCE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. GET TO YOUR STATIONS AND CHECK IN WITH YOUR SUPERIORS._**"

The Yakuza? They were fighting the LLE?

The girl skidded into the medical ward just as Cat ran past her.

"Cat?"

"Gotta go! I'm leading the field medical team."

The girl watched her go before hurrying inside. Yozora stood with Aegis, ready to go. "Where's Magia?"

"He hasn't returned from his family matter. Looks like he'll either be late or miss out."

Yozora activated his comlink. "General, my squad checking in. We're one short for this mission."

"_We'll make do._" Aiko's voice crackled in Kairi's ear. "_We have two teams. One is containing the violence, and the other is going after the LLE directly. This is our chance to hit them. Stella's drones still show them in that old parking garage. You three will be heading up the team there._"

"Got it."

"_Meet your divisions one block west of the parking garage. Go._"

"You heard her." Yozora's eyes glinted. "Let's go."

The three ran down to the main floor. Hercshal stood outside with the same military vehicle Kairi saw on her first day. He did not speak as he walked around to the driver's seat, waiting until all three sat inside to close the door.

Kairi's heart thudded.

She'd been in minor skirmishes with a few people, but this was something else. This was taking on… everything. They were to fight the whole of the LLE forces in the parking garage.

Her hands clenched, knuckles turning white.

"Kairi." She jumped as a hand rested on her shoulder. "Take a deep breath. You're no good if you panic." Aegis spoke, his voice softer than she'd ever heard it.

Yozora looked at her, his face serious, but his eyes soft. "This is your first big mission. I'd be concerned if you weren't nervous. You'll be in command of a small group of soldiers, so you have to be strong for them. Get all those nerves out here, because when you step out of this vehicle, you are a ranking officer to those men."

An officer?

She was in charge.

If she messed up, she could get people ki-

"I know what you're thinking." Yozora looked her dead in the eyes. "They know the risks too. Your job is not to keep them safe but to get the job done. They know to keep out of sight and to fight from cover. Remind them of that, and they should be fine. But you can't show your fear to them."

"How?"

Aegis leaned back. "Accept the fact that you're afraid. And do the job anyway. If you accept the fear, it's easier to deal with. Your body wants to go into 'fight, flight, or freeze'. You can't let it. Accept the fact that you're scared and walk it off. Think about what you have to do and block out all other thoughts."

"Two minutes, you three." Hercshal called back.

"Better hurry."

Kairi closed her eyes. She was terrified, but she couldn't run. She had to do this. It was her responsibility.

The mission.

The mission.

Secure the parking garage.

Secure the parking garage.

That's all.

Focus on that.

Only that.

The vehicle door opened.

Yozora stepped out. Then Aegis.

Then… Kairi.

She took a deep breath and stepped out. A group of soldiers stood before the three of them, their faces stern. But she could see fear in their eyes, and she took great care to hide her own.

"Soldiers." Yozora barked. "We're infiltrating the LLE's current hiding place. Aegis will take Company A and create a barrier. Seal off all exits. No one gets in or out but us. Kairi will take Company B and come in from the north. You are to come in the back, do not reveal your presence. Set up snipers around the north perimeter to catch any stragglers or take out anyone on watch. Company C, you're with me. When the other two teams are in position, we storm the place. Flush them out like rats. Understood!?"

"SIR! YES SIR!"

A stealth mission.

Kairi could do that.

"Kairi, take your company over there and go." Yozora nodded to her. "Good luck."

"You too."

Focus on the mission.

Only on the mission.

She walked further down the street, a company of soldiers following. "You heard him. Snipers, when we get to the north side, you set up on my mark. You'll have five minutes.

"_Kairi. When your team is in position inform us." _

"On it."

She jogged down the street, hearing the clomping of boots behind her.

They got to the north side quickly and quietly. She could see her company in the dim light of the street signs. "Snipers. Go."

Six people broke off from the main company, running into buildings or up fire escapes.

Five minutes.

"_Sniper one, in position." _

"_Sniper two, in position." _

"_Sniper three, in position." _

"_Sniper four, in position." _

"_Sniper five, in position." _

"_Sniper six, in position." _

"Good. Yozora, snipers are in position."

"_Alright._" He paused for a moment, probably ordering his own company. "_Stella, come in. What's the word?_"

Stella's voice crackled to life. "_According to my drone cams there should be about a hundred and fifty to two hundred guys inside. There are deactivated Doomtrains, but those might wake up when engaged. Most are situation on the top few floors, but they could drop things on you so be careful. I'd take out the bottom floors stealthily_."

"_Understood. Kairi. Your company will secure the first two floors."_

"G-got it."

"_Are we ready? Aegis?_"

"_In position." _

"_Kairi?_"

"I-in position."

This was it.

"_Kairi's company_," the soldiers with her stiffened as Yozora addressed them, "_quietly clear the first two floors. On my mark._"

…

…

…

…

"_Now._"

Kairi switched out her Keyblade and outfit to her Stealth Form as she slipped into the garage first. Boxes lay piled up around them, making for plenty of cover.

"_That's weird…_" Stella mused. "_I should be able to see you guys entering on my cameras… but I don't._"

"You don't!?" Kairi whispered.

"_Hang on._" Everyone froze for a few moments. Moments of dead, crippling silence. "_THE FEED'S BEEN LOOPED! Someone hacked my drones!_"

From over the comm, Kairi could dear a mechanical voice cackle. "_Time to go boom boom!__" _

_"__Stella!? What's happening?_"

"_Someone hacked my computers and looped the feed! And they just fried my system! The drones are gone, and the info I had is probably wrong!" _

"Yozora, what do we do?"

"_Kairi, get out of there! Now!_"

"Out! Out!" She whispered harshly.

Her company began to retreat.

Only then did Kairi notice the small black boxes on the support beams. The black boxes with a blinking red light.

And the blinking got faster.

Faster.

Faster.

"THIS PLACE IS RIGGED TO BLOW! GET OUT!"

Her company ran for the door. Kairi, the last one out, managed to step out the door as the bombs went off.

Heat seared into her back, sending her tumbling across the ground.

"_KAIRI!?"_

"_KAIRI! KAIRI ANSWER ME!" _

The girl gasped as the pain in her back subsided. One of her solders stood over her, casting a simple healing spell as another pulled her further back from the building.

She glanced back, seeing a green shield over the building. Aegis' work. Most likely protecting surrounding buildings from fire and debris.

"Commander," one of her company got on the comlink, "she's alright. Injured, but alright. Most of our company was able to pull back. She was the last one out the door and took the brunt of the explosion."

"_Get back to our rendezvous point. Now!"_

Kairi managed to stand up, stumbling back with her troops. She probably looked so weak to those under her.

As they reached the rendezvous point, Yozora and Aegis ran over to her. "I-I'm alright guys."

"_What happened Stella!?_"

"_General! I-I… my system was hacked! They looped the feed! Is Kairi alright!? She went in the bulding!?"_

Kairi activated her comlink. "I'm fine, Stella. The building was rigged to blow, but I was able to get out."

"_Kairi! I'm so sorry! I nearly… you… you could've been killed!_"

"Stella!" Yozora snapped. "She's alright. But you need to calm down. How did someone hack your stuff? Is the rest of the network safe?"

"_Y-yes… my computer was on a different network. But, I did that to protect my stuff in case the military network got hacked. Mine is much more secure… or it should've been. I'm the best hacker in Japan, I should've… no one should've been able to get into my stuff! U-unless… the LLE had someone who did the impossible, like hack the giga's network…"_ She let out a frustrated scream. "_I'm so STUPID! I should've realized they could get into my stuff!_"

Aegis put a finger to his comlink. "You're not stupid. It slipped all our minds. Right now, can you check the military network and make sure it's secure?"

"_Nothing is secure, b-but I'll try._"

Aiko sighed. "_Thank you, Stella. You did your best… Well, no- what?"_ Aiko's voice vanished as apparently someone was talking to her outside the comms. "_Kairi, Aegis, Yozora! I need you at San'ya! The Yakuza's magic user has shown up! You three need to detain him. NOW!" _

"Yes General!" Yozora sprinted for Hercshal's vehicle. "That's quite a drive! Let's go!"

Aegis threw Kairi's arm over his shoulder and helped her into the vehicle. "You gonna make it?"

"Yeah." She switched out her keychains to her Hippocratic Oath Keyblade and cast cure. "My back has been through worse(1)."

Yozora nodded. "You did good though. You saw the threat and acted. Good job."

"Thanks."

Aegis crossed his arms. "A magic user. This would be easier with Magia."

"Well, it can't be helped." Yozora looked at Kairi. "Any keyblades you think would help?"

"I haven't tried the one from Hercshal yet. I've got a few on hand. I'll keep this one, Fanciful Honor, and Golden Heart on hand."

"Alright."

The city flew by as they drove quickly. Kairi could see out the window that the city seemed deserted. Everyone must have fled inside once the fighting started.

"We're approaching the barricade to the area. I'll get us close."

"Thanks Hercshal." Yozora jumped up and stood by the door. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

Kairi attached Golden Heart to the end of her Keyblade. Now this, she could do. Felt like the Keyblade graveyard all over again.

Hercshal pulled to a stop, the three leaping out. "This way!" A street lit up, bursting with bright colors.

That was the place.

Kairi summoned her Keyblade, her clothes changing to the red of her Brawler form. "Kairi, think you can get in close?"

"Cover me, and I think I can."

They entered the street. Soldiers lay at their feet, unconscious but very much alive. This guy wasn't about to kill them.

In the middle of the street, holding two metal pipes, stood the man in the hoodie. "Go!" Yozora summoned a giga, sending it at the figure. Kairi ran behind it, hidden from view as the hooded man sent a wave of ice magic at it. A green shield appeared before Kairi as the giga vanished. She jumped on it, leaping into the air.

"Remember me!" She slammed the Keyblade down, the man jumping back as she cracked the pavement with her strike. She pulled the blade back up, swinging at him. The man blocked with the pipes, not using magic.

Kairi saw under his hood. The man wore a mask too, one that covered the bottom of his face.

She felt the Keyblade changing in her hands as it shifted to a warhammer.

Now, the man jumped back, casting fire magic to block her. Kairi jumped back, switching out the keychain to Fanciful Honor. She hadn't let it revert back to the base Keyblade the night before.

So, now in the black and blue of her Duelist Form, she held a pair of flintlock pistols.

"I'll keep him still." Aegis leapt over her, putting up a shield to prevent the figure's escape.

Kairi fired her pistols. Red bolts flew past her as Yozora shot too.

This…

This was teamwork.

This was her squad.

Yozora appeared beside her. "Need to work on your shooting."

"I'm not used to pistols. Sorry."

He glanced over at her and smirked.

Kairi looked up as a Thundza spell crackled toward them. "Look out!" She dropped a pistol, shoving her friend away.

The spell whizzed past her. She felt the energy crackle in the air around her. As she leapt away, a rock rose up from the ground(2), slamming into her midsection.

Kairi rolled across the pavement.

Tonight was not her night. First she was almost blown up.

Now this.

Kairi looked up to see the hooded figure running toward her. She pulled up the one pistols she still held, aiming it.

He jumped back as she pulled the trigger.

She felt Yozora grab her by the arm, hoisting her up. "You alright?"

"Yeah." She switched the Keyblade back to Hippocratic Oath. "This kind of fight, I'm used to. I can take it."

The figure leapt up onto the rooftops and began to run. Aegis took off down the street. "I'll cut him off!"

"On it!"

Yozora and Kairi, boosted by an Aero spell, jumped to the rooftops and followed.

Kairi wondered how tired she was and how much her adrenaline was doing for her right now.

But she kept running.

The figure turned around, launching spell after spell. Yozora and Kairi managed to dodge them.

"He's heading for the train depot! If he gets there, we'll lose him!"

No!

Kairi grit her teeth. This was her time. Her time to shine.

No more waiting.

No more relying on others.

This time, it was her.

She felt her Keyblade glow in her hands. And a spell come to mind.

"_This spell could be dangerous._" Warned Merlin. "_It makes you move faster, but drains your energy faster too. Use it as a last resort._"

A white magic spell…

"HASTE!"

Her body suddenly felt light. She felt her feet hit the pavement.

Faster.

And faster.

The distance between her and the figure closed. Her body glowing a soft yellow as she approached.

How long she could keep this up, she didn't know.

But she would.

She ran up, Keyblade poised to strike.

"I've got you now!"

The figure turned, his eyes wide with surprise.

His arm came up. "Fla-" His hand came up to stop the words, but the spell was cast.

A ball of bright flame blossomed to life in front of Kairi's face. She held up her Keyblade to block, but the searing heat burned her entire body, throwing her back across the rooftops.

She slammed down. Her body finally giving up. She felt… so weak.

Maybe Haste wasn't such a good idea.

The hooded figure didn't run.

He stumbled towards her, his hands shaking. "N-no… I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean..."

Wait.

That…

That voice.

Aegis appeared behind him. He grabbed the man's arms, shoving him to his knees. "Got you!"

"Kairi!" Yozora appeared at her side. He fished a tonic out of his pocket and helped her drink it. She felt a little energy return. Just enough to raise her Keyblade.

"Cure…"

The spell enveloped her as she sat up. She met the eyes of the hooded man. "I-it can't be you, can it? Please… don't let it be you."

"What do you mean?"

She weakly crawled over and pushed back the hood.

A head of spiked red hair appeared.

"M-M-Magia!?"

Magia sobbed as Kairi pulled down his face mask. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to cast Flare. I didn't! You surprised me. I acted without thinking… I-I'm so sorry…"

The three stood around him as the phrase 'I'm sorry' trickled from his lips, over and over.

* * *

Kairi sat outside the interrogation room with Yozora and Aegis. They stared at the screen that showed the room.

Magia, cuffed, sat across from a very, very angry Aiko.

"General I-"

"Don't! Don't speak. I'm _this_ close to pummeling you within an inch of your life."

Has it been mentioned that she was ANGRY?

"I can't believe this." Yozora whispered.

Aegis nodded. "Me neither. I mean… he was…"

"He was our friend."

Kairi glanced up at Yozora. His hands shook at his sides. His eyes glinted red. Even his silver eye had a tint of red right now.

He was furious.

Aegis stared at the screen, his face dead still. The same look he'd given her as he almost killed her when she first arrived.

He looked ready to pound Magia into the ground.

Kairi held back her emotions. She…

She wanted to cry.

She wanted to scream.

"General," Magia spoke softly, "look, I'm sorry."

"Sorry!? I don't want an apology, especially after you got caught! I just want to know why!"

Magia bit his lip, looking down at the table. "You deserve an explanation…" He bent over, reaching back as far as the cuffs would let him. He pushed back his shirt collar, and they could all see some of the petals of his Chrysanthemum tattoo. "I've been in the Inagawa-kai family since I was little. My dad was a member. I wanted to help him, so I trained in magic to become the Inagawa-kai's magical enforcer. It sounded so cool when I was little. I wanted to protect Tokyo from the shadows like a superhero."

"A criminal superhero…"

"But then I was offered a place in the military. I thought I could still be some sort of hero there. So, my father let me join… on one condition."

"Don't tell me," Aiko snarled, "that you pass on information to the Inagawa-kais?"

"Only some information. I only told them about the activity of other Yakuza in the city! And then I told them some LLE information."

"Which helped them launch a city-wide war that got twenty civilians injured. We're lucky that we were able to stop the violence before things got worse!"

"That wasn't supposed to happen." Magia huffed. "Look, I tried to keep damage at the minimum. I didn't tell them about the main base because I knew the doomtrains might be there and that would make things worse."

Aiko clenched her fists. "Well guess what, we found that place empty, the cameras looped, and the building full of bombs! Kairi nearly got blown up! And then you had to try and personally blow her up too! I ought to ring your neck!"

"Kairi… I really didn't mean to hurt her. She surprised me."

"Surprised you? Really?"

Magia narrowed his eyes. "Yozora and Kairi were chasing me with Aegis going around to cut me off. I know the tactic because I came up with it. I knew I not only had a head start, but I could outrun the two behind him. If I'd made it to the train depot, I would've vanished. They knew it. I didn't think Kairi would catch up to me. I was banking on the fact they couldn't. So, yes, I was surprised when she was right behind me." He looked toward the camera. "Kairi, I'm so sorry."

On the other side of the camera, Kairi looked away. She didn't want to look at him.

"You admit to spying and divulging what is TOP SECRET information."

"Yes. And I know what will happen. Again, I'm sorry."

Aiko stood up. "Me too."

The door opened and two military police walked in. Yozora turned off the screen and leaned against the table. "What now?"

"I don't know…"

* * *

"How did your excursion to Toy Box go?"

Donald groaned. "We ended up tiny again, and do you know how hard it is to get a full-sized game and game system when you are tiny?"

"But we got it!" Goofy held up a box.

"Time to hook it up to the TV." Hayner grabbed the box and pulled out the game console. He grabbed the game too, looking at it. "Verum Rex… and wow, this dude does look like Riku."

Lea scratched the back of his head. "I can't believe that this Yozora guy Kairi knows in that worldline is in a game here."

"Ienzo had a theory on that. Maybe worldlines bleed together somewhat, so over there, there might be versions of some of us."

"That's so weird to think about."

Isa nodded. "Yeah, but in other news, we can probably make a portal to Kairi now. She'll have to open it on her end, but we can connect with her."

"Great!"

"Guys!" Hayner yelled. "This game looks awesome! Come check it out!"

As they gathered around the TV to watch, a black-coated man stood outside the mansion. "So, shall we play a game?"

**_Oh yes!_**

Yellow eyes appeared around him. Giggles echoing through the woods.

**_Let's play!_**

**_Let's play!_**

**_Guardians of light are so fun to play with!_**

**_So much light!_**

**_So much light to snuff out!_**

* * *

**So, that happened. **

**And the emotional mess isn't done yet!**

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) I shouldn't have to explain when this happened.

(2) This is the spell Stone.


	26. Chapter 26

**Let the mayhem continue!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 25: Little House of Horrors**

* * *

"Dude, that boss fight was awesome!" Hayner cheered as he headed toward the door.

Roxas nodded. "I can't believe the gigas had a giant robot dragon(1)!"

"Alright." Isa leaned against the doorframe. "You three better get home. It's late, and I don't want to have your parents ticked at me. Get."

"Bye!"

Hayner, Pence, and Olette headed out into the woods. The festival still went on in town, and the night actually crept in. It felt strange to actually see the night sky for a long period of time.

Riku looked up, reminded of the dark night where the sky became obscured by rain clouds, making it pitch black. The night those things hunted him in the woods.

"I think I should go check on Kairi be-"

"That can wait." Aqua yawned. "It's almost midnight. It's time for bed."

The younger teens all sighed but headed up to bed regardless.

Terra and Riku went to their cots in Isa's room. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy to Axel's room. Ven to Roxas' room. And Aqua and Naminé to Xion's.

Everyone, well almost everyone, fell asleep within minutes.

But not Naminé.

She sat in the bedroom, on her small mattress. This room felt so strange. It used to be hers. But the room, that used to be white: white walls, white floors, white ceiling, white doors, white curtains, no longer looked that way.

The molding, now painted a navy blue, matched the long curtains over the windows. A large shag carpet of soft gray covered most of the floor. On the walls, purple imprints of butterflies made the walls feel alive. Even the ceiling, still white, danced with colors courtesy of the night light by Xion's bed, which projected colorful stars into the air.

The room no longer belonged to Naminé, but to Xion, who slept in her big four-poster bed, surrounded by stuffed animals.

Xion really had found a home during the last year.

But, where could Naminé find to be her home?

She still hadn't found hers.

"Nami?" Xion sat up in bed. "You ok?"

"Can't sleep."

Xion rubbed her eyes before slipping out of bed. "Maybe Lila can help you."

Lila?

The raven-haired girl reached into the pile of stuffed animals and pulled out a small cream-colored kitten with a purple bow. "She smells like lavender. She's always helped me sleep." She handed the blonde the toy.

Naminé took the kitten, feeling the weighted toy in her hands. Under the soft fur, she could feel heavy beads; a sweet smell wafted up from the toy. "Don't you need it?"

"Nah. I'm ok. You can use her." She smiled and went back to her own bed, nuzzling her face into the pile of toys around her.

"Thanks." Naminé buried her face into Lila, the lavender smell surrounding her, lulling the girl into a sleep.

She could worry about other things tomorrow.

Tonight, she could rest.

She and Xion drifted off to sleep, unaware of Aqua listening in. The young woman smiled at the two girls.

**_Aqua._**

The little voice jolted the older girl; she sat up, looking around.

**_Why did you leave us?_**

**_We were having so much fun together._**

"What are you…?"

Puddles of darkness began rippling into existence across the walls and windows, blacking out all light.

"What!?" Aqua jumped up as giggled echoed through the room.

Little hands, tipped with red reached out of the darkness. Yellow eyes popped into existence.

"Xion! Naminé! Get up!"

The two girls sat up at her screams. Xion looked up just in time for a dark hand to reach down, grabbing a handful of her hair.

She screamed.

* * *

Roxas and Ven shot up in their beds, the scream still echoing through the house. "What's going on!?"

"I don't know!" Roxas threw himself out of bed, running for the door.

As his hand reached for the handle, a dark puddle emerged, covering the handle. Out popped two hands and then a little dark creature.

**_Oh! More friends! _**

**_More friends!_**

**_More friends!_**

More portals appeared around the room, the little creatures pouring out. Pointed hats with red swirls over the bright yellow eyes poked up around the room.

**_Oh, look at the light in this one._**

**_He's so bright._**

**_So bright._**

**_So bright._**

**_Oh, but he's been touched. _**

**_Yes. _**

**_Touched by him. Touched by the primordial. _**

"Heartless!?"

"Talking Heartless!?"

The room turned pitch black around the boys.

They summoned their Keyblades as the creatures wormed their way out of the darkness.

The monsters' bodies twitched as they eyed the boys.

**_We do not know this one._**

**_But him. _**

Ven yelped as one tried to grab his leg. That Heartless looked him straight in the eyes.

**_We know you. _**

**_Yes we do._**

**_You stood with the one._**

**_You stood._**

"Ven, what are they talking about!?"

"I don't know!"

**_You took the book._**

**_You let her…_**

**_You let her…_**

**_You let her DIE._**

Ven's head began to throb. "Wh-what!?"

Roxas moved to help his friend up, but one of the monsters leapt upon them. "Ven, snap out of it! Ven!"

**_You let her die._**

**_You let her die._**

**_You let her die._**

The Heartless danced around, singing these words as they charged Roxas, content to leave Ven in his state of mental agony.

"I didn't do anything! Leave me alone!" Ven swung his weapon as one came close.

**_But you did._**

The image of a girl appeared in his mind. A girl and a Chirithy. A girl with long orange hair.

Then it went black.

Roxas stabbed one of the Heartless when he heard a thud.

"Ven!?"

He turned to see the blond boy laying unconscious among the Heartless.

* * *

"It won't budge!" Goofy slammed his shield into the darkness-covered door.

Axel shoved back one of the strange Heartless. "Seriously!? We need out! The others need to hear about th-"

One of the Heartless leapt up, wrapping its fingers around the pyro's Keyblade, not caring as fire burned its fingers.

**_Don't worry._**

**_Don't worry._**

**_We take care._**

**_We take care of them all. _**

"No!" Donald blasted the Heartless away with a spell.

Mickey slashed at another one. "I don't understand how these Heartless can speak! Heartless are like animals."

**_Not us._**

**_Not us._**

**_We're different._**

**_We're like you._**

**_Just like you. _**

"I doubt that!" Axel sent a wave of fire at the monsters. "And Isa's gonna kill all of you. Do you know how much work he's put into this house?"

**_I know this one._**

**_Oh yes._**

**_We do._**

**_He knew her._**

**_He knew the little star girl. _**

**_The star girl with hair of dark._**

Axel froze. The image of a girl in a cell, pink star earrings peaking from behind black hair, flashed in his mind. "How do you know her!?"

**_He does._**

**_He knows little star girl._**

**_How fun. _**

**_How fun. _**

"What's it talking about, Axel?"

"I'll explain later, but these things shouldn't know about that!"

**_We know things._**

**_So many things._**

"Just stop talking!"

* * *

Riku drove Braveheart into one of the Heartless. "Any luck on that door?"

"No." Terra blocked another Heartless swipe. "They literally locked us in."

Isa grit his teeth. "What good are those things if you can't use them! Move!" His body began pulsing with light as his eyes flashed yell. "_MOON SHINE DOWN!_"

His claymore, bathed in light, slammed into the doorway, flinging the door off its hinges.

"I'm going to have to fix that door later!" The three young men ran out into the main hall. Heartless poured from every wall.

"I'll go to Xion's room."

"And I'll find Ven and Roxas."

Isa nodded. "I'll ge-"

His Gummi phone began ringing.

"Not the time Ienzo!" Isa yelled as he answered.

"_This is Beck_." The security program? "_Someone is attempting to wipe the computer of all the information on Sora and Kairi._"

"What!?"

"Change of plans." Isa put the phone away. "I'll deal with the computer room!"

The others would have to wait for just a minute. Isa, slashing apart Heartless around him, dashed down to the basement.

Terra ran up to Roxas' room. "Ven! Roxas!"

"Terra! Ven's out cold! We can't get out!"

Terra drew back his Keyblade. "Sorry about this, Isa. QUAKEZA!" A pillar of rock shattered the door to splinters.

Roxas, dragging Ven with him, ran out the door. "Isa's gonna kill you."

"I'll fix it myself later. Get to Axel and the others. Break the door apart if you have to."

"Right!"

* * *

Aqua slashed at the monsters. "Naminé! Xion!" She could see the dark-haired girl grappling with the Heartless that pulled at her hair. Naminé, without a weapon, hid under a blanket. The monsters didn't seem interested in hurting her, but they kept her surrounded.

"Don't hurt them!" Aqua stabbed one, only for another Heartless to grab her arm.

**_Come on._**

**_Don't you remember us?_**

**_Your friends._**

**_Friends._**

"You're no friends of mine!"

Aqua blasted the Heartless back with fire, only for them to part. They parted to reveal a mirror.

The young woman gasped.

In the mirror.

Herself.

With tattered clothes, silver hair, golden eyes.

And black arms, fingers tipped in red.

"No!"

**_You were almost one of us!_**

One of the Heartless grabbed her leg.

**_You left us. _**

**_Left us. _**

**_Why did you leave us? _**

**_We're just like you._**

"No you're not!"

**_But we are! _**

**_We are._**

**_We had Keyblades. _**

**_We had Keyblades too._**

**_Just like you._**

**_Just like you._**

What… "You were Keyblade wielders!?"

**_Just like you._**

**_Just like you._**

Xion threw the one off her head. "These were wielders!?"

"I… I think I almost was one." Aqua moved closer to Naminé, pulling off the blanket. "Nami, stay beside me."

The blonde girl nodded, clutching her sketchbook.

She'd begun drawing something. Dark figures.

"I can see their memories. They're more like people than other Heartless." Her hand shook as she sketched something and then she ripped the page in half. One of the heartless began to scream, clutching its head before it fell over, disappearing into darkness.

Naminé flinched but began to draw on another page.

The bedroom door flew open, the top hinge snapping as Riku flew inside. "Is everyone alright!?"

"Riku!" Aqua yelled. "These things are Keyblade wielders! Remember when you found me in the Realm of Darkness, I had red fingers and darkness tried to cover me!?"

Wait.

Riku looked at one of the Heartless sauntering toward him. She was right! She had features like these things.

"What are you!?"

**_You make us sad. _**

**_You left us. _**

**_Almost one of us. _**

"Y-you're the things that chased me in the woods!"

**_We are._**

**_We are. _**

**_Dark wielders._**

**_Like you._**

**_Like you._**

**_You could've been one of us._**

**_Like us. _**

**_Like us. _**

**_Darkling._**

**_Darklings._**

"Darklings?" He slashed one to pieces. "Aqua, we need to get everyone out before these… Darklings overwhelm us!"

"Y-yes!" The woman stood her ground. "You two girls go, I'll follow." Xion and Naminé ran past Riku, and only then did Aqua follow.

The Darklings, giggling madly, swarmed behind them.

"There you are!" Roxas yelled as he ran into the main hall, followed by Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Axel.

"Where's Isa!?"

"We'll explain in a minute! We've got other problems."

Like a tidal wave, Darklings poured out of every doorway. Every window. Over the stair railing.

"Isa… hurry it up…"

* * *

Isa hacked every Darkling apart that popped up in his view. He stopped at a whimpering sound.

In the hallway near the computer, surrounded by the Darklings, lay Kosho.

"Hey!" Isa leapt over, slashing the monsters to dust. "Leave my dog alone!" He knelt down, cradling the dog's head as he cast Cure.

Kosho licked his master's hand before slowly standing. Isa let out a sigh of relief. But the dog suddenly turned toward the computer room, growling.

"Come on."

The man stood, his dog at his heels as he entered the room.

A figure, dressed in a familiar black coat, stood over the computer. "Back away from that computer! Now!"

The figure turned, their voice low. "That was fast." Isa could barely hear anything they said. "And I thought I killed that mutt."

Oh, that was it!

Isa charged forward, his movements restricted in this small space. But he could still beat this guy.

The figure held up a hand, darkness flashed.

"What!? I-it can't be!" Isa pushed, his claymore locked with an eerily familiar weapon.

A Keyblade.

A Keyblade with a goat head near the hilt, and a blue eye that bored into his soul.

"Who are you!?"

The figure jumped back. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He spoke quietly still, purposely keeping his voice a whisper. "Looks like plan A didn't work. Time for plan B." A dark corridor blossomed into existence behind him. The man stepped back, vanishing into the darkness.

Isa watched as the heartless faded into the ground, vanishing with their master.

He sighed, checking the computer.

Beck did a good job. Everything seemed to still be there.

So, it was over…

For now.

The Darklings, with a giggle, faded away.

The mansion, now silent once more.

"Ven!" Aqua ran over, kneeling over her friend.

Terra cradled the boy's head. "He's fine."

"What were those things!?" Axel yelled.

"Darklings." Riku dismissed his Keyblade. "They said… they were, or used to be, Keyblade wielders."

"What!?"

Aqua sighed. "In the Realm of Darkness, when darkness nearly consumed me, I… I looked like them. My arms had started to turn totally black; my torn clothes began to fuse with me… and my fingers were red. I was becoming like them."

"That's… terrifying."

"So, that's what happens to a Keyblade wielder who is completely consumed by darkness. They become a Heartless that has some semblance of humanity left."

Goofy scratched his head. "But, why attack us?"

"As a distraction." Isa came in, Kosho at his heels. "Someone was downstairs trying to delete all the information we had on Sora and Kairi. They failed, but it's safe to say that was their target. Everything else, a distraction."

Silence.

What was there to say?

"So… now what?"

"I'm not sleeping tonight." Roxas huffed. "Not after that."

"I don't think any of us are."

Isa glanced toward his bedroom door. "I guess we can fix things. Anyone who broke a door can fix it. The others can help."

"And what if the door was shattered into splinters?"

"Then I suggest you find some sort of magic spell to put it back together or you're paying for the CUSTOM MADE door out of your own pocket, Terra."

Donald knelt by Ven. "I'll stay with him until he wakes up."

"Good idea."

Looking down at Ven, Roxas furrowed his brow. Just what were the Heartless talking about? Who did Ven let die?

"Roxas, come on. You broke a door."

"Ugh, I'm coming."

* * *

_Little Kairi sat on the floor in her father's workshop, watching him saw a board in half. "Can I help now, Daddy?" _

_"__Just a minute." Kaimu smiled. He set his saw down and laid the wood on the floor. "Get your sandpaper." _

_"__Here!" _

_"__Good." He knelt down, putting his hand on top of Kairi's. "Now go up and down. Up and down."_

_"__Up and down. Up and down." Kairi repeated as she ran the sandpaper across the board. _

_"__Good job Kairi! I'll make a carpenter out of you yet." He stepped back, measuring out another board._

_Kairi continued to sand the wood, even as she heard soft footfall behind her. "Look at you two! Working so hard!" _

_"__Hi Mommy!" Kairi looked up as she sanded. _

_Clover giggled, taking off her apron and maid cap. "Is that my new cabinet you're making?" _

_"__That's right Clo." Kaimu walked over, kissing her cheek. "Now, what color?" He held up some paint swatches. _

_"__Hm, I'm not sure. Kairi, what color should we paint it?"_

_"__Pink!" _

_"__You want everything to be pink."_

_"__Pink is my favorite!" _

_"__But what's your mom's favorite color? It's her cabinet."_

_The little girl stopped sanding; she scampered over to her father as he held down the color swatches. "Mommy likes… this one." She grabbed a soft teal color. "Right Mommy?"_

_"__That's exactly right." Clover smiled. She turned to her husband as Kairi went back to sanding the board. "You know, I think Ansem the Wise is serious. He offered me a job again."_

_"__That's amazing sweetie. I think you should take it."_

_"__I will, but when I finish school. Lord Ansem has agreed to wait until then to hire me." _

_Kairi sat up as she finished the board. "Daddy, I'm done." _

_"__Alright."_

_Clover kissed Kaimu. "If you don't need me, I have some studying to do." _

_"__Go ahead. I'll be in later."_

_Kairi watched her mother go, she jumped up and scampered after her. "Can I help?" _

_"__Well, I could use a study buddy." _

_Kairi grinned. _

_They went into a small office. A pile of textbooks lay on a table next to scattered papers. "I really need to clean up…" Clover muttered as she picked up a textbook. "Kairi, come here." She sat down and pointed to the title of the book. "What letters are in this word?"_

_"__Um… N-E-U-R-O-L-O-G-Y." _

_"__Good. That spells Neurology." _

_"__Ner-all-gee?"_

_"__Close enough." Clover laughed._

_The two sat for a long while. Clover read the textbook out loud; Kairi listened but didn't understand practically anything. The pictures were cool though._

_"__I'm home!" _

_"__Grandma!" Kairi leapt up as Clover set the book aside. _

_Clover smiled. "Mom, need some help?"_

_"__Thank you dear, but I can carry these just fine." The old woman set down her bags of groceries. "I may be old, but I'm not helpless yet. Go on back to your work. I need to start supper anyway." _

_"__Mom, are you su-"_

_"__Clover, I really appreciate it, but I'm fine. You have a degree to earn. I can handle supper." _

_"__Alright. You win." _

_"__What are we making?" Kairi grinned._

_Her grandmother smiled back. "Hmm. How does quiche sound?"_

_"__Yum!" _

_The two began making supper. And just as they put it in the over, someone knocked on the door. _

_"__I've got it!" Kairi ran over, pulling the door open. _

_She stopped. _

_Who was this person?_

_He looked like someone who worked at the castle. He had a long white coat and a purple tie. His golden eyes, framed with silver hair, stared curiously down at the girl. "Hello."_

_"__Hi." _

_"__Oh, hello." Kairi's grandma came over. "May I help you?"_

_"__My name is Xehanort. I work at the castle. I wanted to speak with Clover. I was told she lives here." _

_"__Xehanort?" Clover walked over, smiling. "Nice to see you. Is there something I can do for you?"_

_The man nodded cordially. "Not especially. I was just curious about you. It's not often that Lord Ansem pays so much attention to a maid, and I was not expecting you to show such intellect, so I decided to come find you." _

_"__If that's the case," Kairi looked up as her grandmother smiled, "join us for supper."_

_"__I'd hate to impose."_

_"__You won't be. My name is Hikaru Utada, but most people just call me Widow Hikaru."_

_Clover picked up Kairi. "This is my daughter, Kairi. Kairi, say hi to Mr. Xehanort."_

_"__Hi." _

_The man stepped inside, taking off his coat. "I was not aware that you had a daughter. You look… well…"_

_"__Far too young? I know. I'm only 20 after all." _

_Xehanort raised an eyebrow. "And how old are you, Kairi?"_

_"__Five." _

_The man looked surprised. That meant Clover had Kairi when she was fifteen._

_"__Oh, I didn't know we were having a guest." Kaimu walked in, dusting off his hands on his pants, leaving big pale handprints on the dark blue fabric._

_"__This is Xehanort. He just started working at the castle recently." _

_Kaimu held out a hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kaimu Utada. Clover's husband." _

_"__A pleasure to meet you too." _

_Kairi wasn't sure what to make of this strange man. But he seemed nice enough. _

_Her father went to wash up, Clover went back to studying, and her grandmother bustled about the kitchen while Xehanort stared at the family photos._

_He looked down at the staring child. "May I help you?"_

_"__Do you like Ner-all-gee like Mommy?" _

_"__Neurology…?" He blinked at the girl's use of such a big word. "That's not my specialty, no. I prefer to study the heart." _

_The heart? "Mommy says I have a big heart. But I don't think it's too big."_

_"__And why is that?"_

_"__If it was too big it wouldn't fit inside me. And there would be no room for my tummy if it was too big." _

_He choked back a laugh. "I suppose not. I study the darkness and light inside people's hearts." _

_"__People have light in their hearts? Grandma says that too. But if I have light in my heart, does that mean my heart lights up? Is my heart like a glowstick?" _

_The man shook his head slightly. "The mind of a child," he muttered. _

_This conversation went on for several minutes until Clover returned. "Sorry, I hope she hasn't talked your ear off." _

_"__No. Honestly, the innocence was very refreshing." _

_"__Yes. She's a pure-hearted little girl." _

_"__Like her mom." Kaimu called from the bathroom. _

_Xehanort looked at the little girl. "Indeed. Just like the seven princesses." _

_"__Princesses!?" Kairi squealed. "I love princesses!" _

_"__Have you heard the story of the seven princesses?" _

_"__NO! Tell me! Tell me!" _

_"__Now Kairi. If he doesn't want to tell you, then don't pester him."_

_Xehanort sat down. "No, that's alright." He waited until Kairi sat on the ground, staring at him. "Long ago, the world was covered in darkness." _

_"__I know that. Grandma told me."_

_"__Well, then you know that light came back."_

_"__Yes."_

_"__Well, when the light came back, the purest light, untouched by darkness, found its way into seven girls. They are called the Princesses of Heart. They protected everything with their light, and when their time is over, the light goes to another seven."_

_"__What were the first princesses' names!?" _

_"__I don't know. But I think one was a little girl like you. She had blonde hair and was a warrior_(2)_." _

_"__Are there princesses now?"_

_"__There are. And they protect everything with their magical light." _

_"__Really!? My friend Joshua_(3)_ says magic isn't real. Do you think magic and the princesses are real?"_

_"__I do." _

_"__Maybe I can be a princess!" _

_Kaimu laughed as he scooped up his daughter. "Maybe. But you're already my princess." _

_"__Daddy!" Kairi laughed._

_Maybe this Xehanort guy wasn't so bad…_

_Well, as least she thought so until…_

_Until that day. _

_When he took everything away._

* * *

Kairi sat up, the dream fading away.

"You ok?"

Kairi nodded. "I just had a dream about my parents. And Xehanort… about the day he came over to our house. He seemed nice at the time. But then he betrayed us. Just like…"

"Don't think about that." Chirithy chided.

Kairi sighed, glancing over at her clock. 3AM.

"I'm going to get some air."

She slipped out of bed, walking down the hall.

Maybe beating something up in the training room would clear her mind. Dreams of betrayal. Just what she needed after what Magia did…

She heard someone grunting in the training room.

Yozora.

He stood, bent over, breathing hard, in front of a destroyed training dummy. Kairi stepped inside, pausing as she heard rustling.

Under her feet lay tech blueprints. Some ripped and torn, others scribbled over with a black pen.

"What do you want?"

"I just came down to clear my head."

Yozora didn't even look her way. "Well, do it somewhere else."

"Yozora-"

"Get out."

"O-ok…" She stepped away. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Maybe sleep would be better.

* * *

"Ven! You're awake!" Aqua smiled as she sat by her friend.

Ven blinked, shaking his head. "Yeah… but what happened to me?"

"You passed out." Roxas shoved his hands in his pockets. "Those Heartless, the Darklings, said you let someone die. You passed out after that."

"Let someone die!? But I would never do that."

"Don't yell at me. They said it."

"But why that edge in your voice?"

"After they said it, you seemed to be almost remembering something. I've had similar things happen. You may have done something and just forgotten."

Terra held up a hand. "Roxas, don't you think that's a little much? Maybe they were just messing with his head."

"If they were just messing with him, why not do something to me too? Look, I'm not trying to blame him or anything, but those Darklings may know something he doesn't. Trust me, forgetting something that you've done doesn't make it go away. If he did do something, then he should try and face it. Maybe not now, with everything else going on, but I don't think he should just leave it alone."

Ven clenched his fists. "Even if it's something I'd never do?"

"Well, Vanitas was your darkness, right? Maybe you did something before you and he were separated."

"Maybe." Ven closed his eyes, thinking as hard as he could. "But… I don't think I did anything. I-I get the feeling something happened. I-I saw a girl, a girl with orange hair. But I didn't feel… I don't know… rage, or guilt. I saw her and I felt… sad."

Roxas sighed. "Then, when this is all over, I'd talk to Nami. She can help."

Riku watched this from the side; Roxas wasn't wrong, but…

Wait, where was Nami?

He saw her sketchbook lying on the ground near the front door. Out he went, into the night. In the light of the dawn, just starting to peak over the trees, he saw a small figure hunched over.

"Nami?"

"Leave me alone."

He sat beside her. "You ok?"

"No…" she looked down at her hands. "Riku, why do you all like me?"

"Huh?"

She clenched her fists. "I-I'm a monster. Those Heartless. I could feel them. Their memories deep in their hearts, or what was left of their hearts. I used that… I found their deepest memories, the things that held them to their hearts. And- And I broke them. I ripped their memories apart!"

"Nami, those were Heartless."

"But I killed them! What if a person scared me and I did that to them!?"

Riku reached over, laying his hand on her shoulder. "You won't."

"How do you know!?"

"Because I know you. You're sweet and kind. You never want to hurt anyone. You know as well as I do that Heartless, with or without memories, are little more than lost animals hunting for hearts. I know you would never do that to a real person."

"Riku." She looked up. "I'm just… I'm tired of hurting people. I'm tired. And I want to go home… even though I don't have one."

Riku felt his heart sting as he saw the tears on her face. "Well, they say home is where the heart is. So, where is your heart?"

"My heart?" She laid a hand on her chest. "It's…" Her face turned red. "It's… I-I don't know. I don't know." She stood up and scurried back inside.

"Naminé wait!"

That was… weird.

* * *

Kairi hurried back to her room and laid down.

But when her eyes closed a new dream immediately invaded her mind.

_A man with silver hair and red eyes paced around a blank room. Papers lay all around his feet. _

_Tech blueprints._

_Ripped._

_Scribbled out. _

_"__NO! NO! NO!" He yelled. "Failures! All of them! There has to be something I can do. Something. Something!" He held up a paper, this one intact. "This plan was flawless, but it's not enough. Not enough anymore. Come on, you can think of something." _

_The man paced._

_And paced. _

_And paced. _

_Then stopped. _

_"__That's it!"_

_He turned and began scribbling down something on a piece of paper. _

_"__This time, nothing will stop me!"_

* * *

**Well, that happened. **

**Hope you enjoyed! And be ready… it's gonna get even crazier.**

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) This is a reference to the fact that Rex said he fought Bahamut in Verum Rex. To fit with my lore, the dragon would probably be a giga variant.

(2) Yes this is Vor. And yes I just threw this in.

(3) This is meant to be a reference to the FF16 trailer. The little boy in the trailer is named Joshua.


	27. Chapter 27

**So, how bout that TGS stuff!? I can't wait for the demo for MoM! **

**Also, I may not be able to update next week… maybe. Not sure yet. We will see. **

**But yeah, enjoy the chapter…**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners! **

* * *

**Chapter 27: Rift Part 1**

* * *

Kairi rubbed her eyes before downing a cup of coffee.

"You're downing coffee this morning like Phinehas downs martinis after a meeting." Aegis moved the cup away from her hands. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Bad dream."

"You seem to have a lot of those lately."

"Yeah, things aren't really going well…" Kairi sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"Same."

Kairi reached for her coffee cup, but Aegis pushed a water cup into her hand instead. "Hey!"

"Too much coffee will not only dehydrate you, but you can become addicted to the caffeine. No more coffee today, and no energy drinks."

With a pout, Kairi drank the water in her cup, glaring over the top at him. "I saw Yozora last night. He was in the training room, tearing up the dummies."

"He does that when he's mad. I saw him go to his room this morning, probably to crash."

"Probably."

They sat there, silently, before Aegis stood up. "Let's go on patrol."

"You hate patrol."

"Yes, but it will get us off base and distract us. You coming?"

"Sure."

The two walked out of base, side-by-side. Kairi glanced over at him. At least one good thing had come. Aegis now considered her a friend, and she him.

They turned out the front door and down the street. "So, Aegis, other than the thing you made us swear not to talk about, I don't really know much about you."

"Because I don't talk about myself. I'm not the mushy, feely type."

"Alright, then why don't you tell me about what Fitz called you. Arithmo- something."

"Arithmomaniac." The young man adjusted his glasses. "Do you know what OCD is?"

She nodded. "My mom has it."

"Arithmomania is a branch of it. I have a compulsive desire to count things. I learned to do it in my head when I was a kid, but it does slip into conversation many times."

Kairi slowly nodded. He did count things a lot, so it made sense. "So, you're counting things right now?"

"I've counted how many steps we've taken since we left the base. I try to focus on one thing at a time when I'm talking. Helps me focus."

"How many steps then?"

"Sixty and counting."

Kairi giggled. "It's kinda cool that you can do that. I lose track of counting all the time, and I just generally suck at math."

"You're trying to turn this into a mushy 'spill your life story' conversation, aren't you?"

Dangit!

"Yeah…"

He smirked. "If you want that, you'll have to try a lot harder."

"I guess I wi-"

BOOM!

Just as the two rounded the corner of the first city block, a shockwave knocked them to their knees. They turned as smoke began billowing out of the base.

"What now!?

* * *

"Are you sure that's what you saw?"

"I'm sure, Mickey." Isa grunted as he screwed on a new door hinge. "He had Xehanort's Keyblade."

Ven looked up at Aqua. "Do you think-?"

"No. If it was Xehanort, we'd know by now. And anyways, I think he's gone for good."

Xion wrapped her arms around herself. "Who could it have been then?"

"Don't know, but they wanted to get rid of the data on the computer. They don't want us saving Sora and getting Kairi home."

Riku glanced over at Naminé. She'd been avoiding their gaze since their earlier conversation. She glanced over at him before averting her eyes again. What was up with her?

"Done." Isa stepped back, admiring the door. "Everything is back to normal, house-wise."

"This house is really your baby." Axel laughed as he walked in with a tray of coffee cups.

"You better believe it. Kosho and this house. And that guy last night messed with both… no one tries to kill my dog though. If I see that guy again, I'm pounding his head in."

Roxas reached over, rubbing Kosho between the ears. "He seems alright now."

"Not the point," Xion wrapped her arms around the dog, letting him lick her chin, "the fact that anyone would try to hurt this beautiful baby boy means they must pay!"

Axel glanced over at Isa, who sipped his coffee. "You're rubbing off on her."

"Good. Maybe then we'll have two braincells in this house instead of one."

"HEY!"

The others laughed.

Things felt tense, but this made everything lighten.

Riku's eyes stared at the front door, every part of him just wanting to run out and search for that guy in black, but if the guy wanted the computer so badly, he'd be back. Leaving would just leave the computer unprotected.

Then-

The door creaked open, red fingers curling around it.

"Guys!" He summoned his Keyblade as the Darkling poked a head in.

**_Hello_**

**_Hello _**

It twitched as it giggled.

But it didn't enter.

**_Still here_**

**_Still here_**

**_Even while it burns_**

**_All burns_**

**_To ashes_**

**_Ashes _**

"Burns?"

"What's burning!?"

The Darkling giggled and slipped back out the door. Riku and Goofy charged out the door first.

No sign of the Heartless.

But…

"Smoke!" Goofy pointed.

A massive cloud of smoke rose from over the town.

"The town!" Roxas bolted for the gate into town.

"Roxas wait!" Axel followed after him.

Terra glanced around. "We need to hurry, but one should stay behind."

"I will," Naminé piped up, "I wouldn't be much help. I'll wait here and watch the computer."

"If the mansion starts to burn, get out fast."

"I will."

Isa turned to his dog. "Kosho, stay!" Then he too ran toward the town.

They all ran as fast as they could, ducking under the door to town, to find festival décor in flames. Flame core Heartless bounced around, spewing flames at anything and everything.

"Evacuate everyone to the station! And put out that fire!"

"Got it!"

Roxas and Axel, way ahead, could be seen pounding every Heartless in sight, their eyes mad with fury. No one trashed their home!

"Axel!" Zell ran over from amid the smoke, "What are these things!?"

"Heartless! Leave them to us! Get everyone out."

"Got it!"

People, heads ducked low, ran by, avoiding the Heartless and the flames as best they could.

Aqua, Donald, Mickey, and Xion focused their magic on putting out the fires. The others smashed the Heartless.

"Guys!" Hayner ran over, a struggle bat clenched in his fist. "Let us help!"

"You can help by getting people out of danger." Isa called.

"But-"

Roxas rounded on his friend. "I know you want to help, but you can't. These things will kill you! Go!"

Hayner stepped back at the fury in his friend's eyes. "A-alright. But don't you guys die on us either."

"We won't!"

Riku looked around as the boy ran off. Smoke blackened the sky, making it look redder than usual. Blood red.

Flames leapt from buildings.

It seemed like most people were outside at the time due to the festival.

Killing people was not the intent.

But what was?

His gummi phone rang.

Bad timing.

He pulled it out, to glance at the ID. "Beck?"

"_Riku!_" The program called. "_The person from last night is trying to delete the data again!_"

That was it!

Riku turned, bolting back toward the mansion. He wouldn't let them cut off that link!

He wouldn't let anyone keep his friends away from him again.

"Look out!" Someone slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.

Riku looked up. Part of a flaming banner lay where he'd just been. "Thanks!"

"No problem." A boy with white hair and spiky black bangs helped him up. "The monsters are the other way you know."

"Not all of them. Thanks for the help, but you need to get to safety. Go!"

He took off again, ducking through the woods, now thick with smoke.

For a moment, he thought he could hear the giggling of the Darklings as he burst through the mansion door and ran downstairs.

* * *

Aegis and Kairi dashed back to base as some of the building office staff poured out.

They saw a blurry figure shoot something at the balcony in the middle of the room, shattering it.

The figure landed.

"I-it can't be…"

"Yozora! What are you doing!?"

Yozora turned around. Kairi just now noticed his hair looked longer, scruffier. And when he looked her in the eyes, she gasped.

Both red eyes.

"Frode."

Yozora, or now Frode, held up a modified crossbow.

"We need to snap him out of it!"

"Yeah!"

Aegis drew his blade, rushing forward. Yozora/Frode turned around, blocking the oncoming attack. "So, you're these friends he cares for so much."

Kairi slipped under Aegis' sword, coming up with her own strike.

As she did, a crossbow bolt hit her square in the chest.

She gasped, tumbling backwards.

"Kairi!"

"One down." Aegies managed to jump back before another crossbow bolt fired.

"Kairi!" Lucky ran from her supply room, shotgun in hand. "Are you-"

The princess groaned. "I'm fine… that just hurt."

"Yozora! What are you doing!?"

Aiko and Cid came out of the hanger doors. Alexis, Stella, and Vallis from upstairs. Cat and Atlas from the medical bay.

"And here they all come." Yozora/Frode huffed. "I hoped to finish this quickly, but no matter. All of you dying will give him little to fight back for."

"Frode!? What have you done to Yozora!?" Aiko pointed her gun at the man.

"I did? He gave up. So, I gave him resolve! I gave him a purpose. To force open those doors and kill my own creation. The gigas are no longer under my control, so they must perish."

"And then you take over the world instead?"

"Yes. And you can help me." Yozora/Frode held up his blade. "Help me or die."

Alexis hefted up her weapon. "I've got no plans tomorrow, so might as well die here today."

"That's right!"

Kairi stood up, pulling away from Lucky. "I guess we're doing this."

"Guess so." Lucky pumped her shotgun.

Frode glanced around. "Fine then." Digital particles sprouted from the crossbow, becoming gigas. "Die."

Kairi rolled away from a giga as Lucky unloaded her shotgun into it. "Get to Yozora! You guys have to snap him out of it!"

The girl ran toward her old friend, seeing Aegis do the same.

"Yozora! Snap out of it! You're hurting your friends!"

Kairi held up her Keyblade in time to block another shot from the crossbow. Yozora/Frode warped away, leaving small orbs in his wake.

"Get back!"

Lasers erupted from the orbs.

Aegis grunted as Yozora/Frode appeared beside him.

Kairi cast Thundra, shorting out the laser orbs, before running to her friend's aid.

"Yozora! Come back!"

"He's not coming back. So, be quiet and die."

"You know," a new voice called, "I'd like my friend back."

Yozora/Frode turned as ice jutted up around him.

"Now return Yozora."

"Magia!?"

The red-haired young man, dressed in prison clothes, walked toward them, rapiers in hand. "Thank the general. Now, what's say the three of us cut this guy down to size for Yozora?"

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Yozora/Frode warped out of the ice, firing lasers at the three of them.

"Behind me!"

Aegis held up his blade, a shield forming over him as the two leapt behind him.

"Kairi," Magia smiled warmly, "I have an idea. I can get you behind him."

She looked into his eyes. "Tell me."

Yozora/Frode transformed his small sword into a mirror version of Aegis' before slamming down onto the shield.

Aegis' shield broke apart, the two swordsmen clashing.

Magia leapt to the right, one rapier pointed at Yozora/Frode as flames blossomed from it.

Yozora/Frode jumped back, just noticing a track of ice to his left before Kairi slammed into him from behind. "Yozora! Come back!"

The man rolled over, swiping Kairi's legs out from under her. "You. I know what you are."

"Don't touch her!"

Magia appeared behind Yozora/Frode, ready to stab, but a giga materialized, grabbing both him and Aegis.

"That should keep them occupied."

Kairi pushed herself up. "What do you mean?"

"You're from another worldline, like me. But I came through the door. You didn't. All for this boy of yours."

Kairi grit her teeth. "You know nothing!"

"I know your Keyblade is on the verge of breaking." He glanced at it, eyes scouring the cracks. "Just like your heart. And yet you fight on. I like that."

"Huh!?"

He lunged forward, slamming into her. "Do you know how I conquered my own worldline? I implanted chips in people, controlling their every thought and action. Didn't have time to do that here last time."

Kairi shoved him back, slashing at him.

"But now, I have the time." Yozora/Frode warped, appearing beside her.

Kairi blocked.

"You'll be my first servant. My second in command."

"No!" Kairi cast Fira at him, forcing him to warp once more.

"I'll control everyone eventually. So, sooner or later you'll fall. Might as well get it over with sooner than later. You'll never see that Sora boy again, but you won't care anymore anyway-"

"You're wrong!" The girl snapped. "I'll always care about him!"

Yozora/Frode raised an eyebrow. "Shall we test that then?"

The red blade vanished, replaced with a fake Keyblade.

Sora's.

"Now, let's see this resolve of yours in action."

Kairi grit her teeth, tightening her grip on her Keyblade till her knuckles turned white.

She charged.

* * *

Riku charged down the stairs.

"Nami!"

The blonde girl lay on the ground, wrapped around Kosho. They both seemed unconscious, but mostly unharmed.

Riku paused, wanting nothing more to help Naminé back up. He cast Curza. Before running past. A man in a black coat stood over the computer, arms crossed in annoyance.

He looked over as Riku ran in.

"Get away from there!"

The man seemed to sigh, his shoulders drooping before he held out his hand. A Keyblade, Xehanort's Keyblade, appearing in his grasp.

Riku lunged forward as the man pointed the Keyblade forward.

Lightning crackled across the dark blade, arching through the air.

Not at Riku.

At the computer.

"NO!"

The lightning struck the computer.

The screen fizzled and flashed. Smoke poured from the machine.

"You lose." The figure whispered before warping away.

"No!" Riku ran to the computer, trying his hardest to do something. Anything. "NO! NO! NO!"

* * *

"Is that the last of them?"

"I think so."

Xion looked around. Buildings looked singed, some blackened from the flames. "The festival is ruined this year…"

"Yeah…"

"Don't worry about it." Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge walked toward them. "We were able to get everyone out. No one was seriously hurt."

"Buildings can be fixed."

"And we were planning on staying up all night tonight anyway for the last night of the festival. We can all help fix things all night!"

Roxas looked away. "Axel, do you think this was our fault?"

"I don't. I do think this was planned, but not by us. And we couldn't have known this would happen, so blaming ourselves would just make things worse on our end."

Terra looked around. "Where's Riku?"

"Not sure."

"The mansion." Out of the smoke walked a boy with white hair and black bangs. His green eyes glinted in the warm light. "If you're talking about the guy with silver hair, he went to the mansion. Seemed to be in a hurry too."

Isa narrowed his eyes. "The computer."

"Then, this whole fire was a distraction-"

"To get us away from the computer."

Mickey clenched his fists. "Isa, why don't you, Terra, and I go back and check on Riku. The rest of you can help here."

"Sounds good."

Terra nodded. "And thanks for the ti-" He turned, but the boy who'd given them the information was gone. "Tip… Where'd he go?"

"Don't know." Wedge shrugged.

Biggs scratched his head. "I've never seen that kid before though."

"Who was he then…?"

* * *

"Riku?" Naminé walked into the room, gasping at the ruined computer.

Riku sat, hunched over, staring at his gummi phone.

"_I'm on my way right now!_" Was that Ienzo's voice?

"Thanks…" He looked up. "Nami? What happened?"

The girl walked over to him. "I came down here with Kosho to watch the computer. You hadn't been gone long and he just appeared. I tried to protect Kosho. What did he do?"

"He fried the computer."

"He what!?" Terra, Isa, and Mickey stood in the doorway.

"Don't worry." A cloud poofed into existence, revealing Ienzo and Merlin. "Sorry if we startled you, but I figured this was faster than the gummi ship. Thank you, Merlin."

"No problem, my boy."

The wizard vanished as Ienzo inspected the computer. "We backed up all the files multiple times, and in multiple places. Master Ansem believed in having backup plans." He walked over to a wall and pressed in a button. "Hence why he not only built a backup computer here, but also had an extra server, not connected to the other one physically."

The wall slid open to reveal a smaller computer, completely functioning.

"Wh-what!?"

"We had a feeling someone might try and stop us. Well, Master Ansem did. He's very paranoid about his work you know."

"Yeah, we know."

Ienzo booted up the new computer. "Everything should be in working order already."

Riku let out a long sigh. For once, Ansem's paranoia managed to work in their favor. "Should we test it?"

"I think so. We can quickly check up on Kairi just to make sure it's all working. Nami, you'll have to tell us if it's safe to watch."

"Ok."

The boys all turned away as Naminé started up the program. "I think it's… Kairi!"

Riku turned around, eyes fixing on the screen.

All eyes on the screen.

As it happened.

"No…!"

"Kairi!"

* * *

**Is that an unnecessary cliffhanger I spy!?**

**Yes! **

**Enjoy the wait for the next one! **


	28. Chapter 28

**So, this chapter is short, but it's a whopper. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 28: Rift part 2**

* * *

Kairi hacked and slashed against the fake Keyblade. But Frode had Yozora's strength and did not falter once.

With every slash, Kairi became more and more frustrated. He wasn't even flinching!

"Yozora seems to think you've grown since he met you," Frode/Yozora scoffed, "but I still see the same weakling that arrived. Honestly, you couldn't save that Sora boy even if you tried for the rest of your life."

"Shut up!"

Frode/Yozora finally moved, slamming her against a wall. "Your keyblade is a reflection of what is inside. You're cracked, broken. Good for nothing."

Kairi closed her eyes. The words, she'd heard them, told them to herself, many times…

They still stung.

"If Sora was here, he'd say the same thing."

Her head snapped up.

"What…?"

"If this boy of yours was smart, he probably let himself die to get away from you. You're a pathetic leach looking for someone to suck the life out of."

Kairi felt a lump rise in her throat. "You're wrong."

"Am I?"

"YOU'RE WRONG!"

She charged forward, their blades clashing with a flash of light and a sound of glass shattering.

* * *

The boys all turned away as Naminé started up the program. "I think it's… Kairi!"

Riku turned around, eyes fixing on the screen.

All eyes on the screen.

As Kairi clashed blades with the man before her, light flashed.

And her Keyblade shattered.

"No…!"

Her way home.

Her way to save Sora.

"Kairi!"

Riku watched as the man pulled back, clasping his head before he dropped to the ground, and Kairi dropped to her knees.

"_N-no…_" She reached for a shard, trying to fit it back with the rest of her weapon. "_No! No! No! No!_" She grabbed another shard, and another, not caring if they cut at her fingers. Blood dripped down her fractured Keyblade as tears dripped down her face.

Her body shuddered as she tried to fit another piece. This one sliced her palm. She hissed, dropping it. She stared at the blood before clutching her hand to her chest, letting out a scream.

A scream filled with agony.

"Kairi…" Riku reached out, touching the screen, his hand shaking.

"Nami," Terra whispered, "go tell the others what happened. Hurry." He waited till the girl pattered up the stairs before laying a hand on Riku's shoulder. "We will figure this out."

"How!? Her Keyblade is broken!? She has no way to get another one! She's stuck there! She's stuck there alone!"

"Not alone. Look."

* * *

Stella dropped to Kairi's side first, throwing her arms around the girl. Lucky arrived not a moment after.

"Shh, it's gonna be alright, Kairi. It'll be alright."

"No! It won't!" The princess gasped. "I-I'm so worthless! I can't do anything right! I'll never do anything right! I'm a curse! A WORTHLESS CURSE! I can't save Sora! I can't do anything!"

She felt hands grab her own.

"Don't you say that!" Magia held his hands over hers, casting healing magic.

Aegis tipped her head up so she looked at him. "You are NOT worthless."

"But I am… I'm weak. I just fail…"

"That's not true!"

"But it is! My friends back home… no one would say it, but I know it. I'm the weakest. They all know I'm the weak link. All I do is get captured. All I do is put others in danger."

She felt a sharp tap on her head. "I don't have my dart gun, so that will do." Cat said softly.

Lucky gently picked up a piece of the Keyblade. "We can fix it! I'm sure."

"I don't know how." Kairi sobbed. "I should've asked. I should've asked my friends, but I was too stupid t-" Cat thumped her on the head. "I should've asked… I just wanted to do things on my own. I didn't want to be a burden for once."

"You're not a burden!" Riku screamed at the screen. "You're not… you're not worthless…" He sank to his knees. "You're not the weak link. You're stronger than you think… and I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel less than what you are…"

"_Is there any way we can find out how to fix it? You've been doing some sort of project with Phinehas, right!?_" The man who healed Kairi asked.

Kairi nodded. "_He's looked into it… I asked him to help me find books, and I'd help him research. He said he found a list of ingredients. But…_"

A woman with a robot arm pulled out a phone, immediately flipping it on. "_This is General Aiko. Put me in touch with Minister Phinehas now!_" She waited for a moment. "_Phinehas! Kairi's Keyblade just shattered! She said you've been helping her with fixing it. What do you need? We'll do whatever we can to find it!_"

* * *

Kairi looked up at the general, only now noticing Yozora laying unconscious on the ground with Atlas and Cid kneeling over him. Vallis walked over toward Aiko, pulling out a tablet. As she began to speak, he wrote.

"Orichalcum. Orichalcum+. Mithril. And other magical metals and gems… I think we can arrange that. And a place of ancient magic."

Lucky grinned. "Don't worry, Kairi. I can get Orichalcum and Orichalcum+!"

"I bet I know where the metals and gems are!" Cid yelled from over by Yozora.

Stella nodded. "I'll search for the place of ancient magic!"

Kairi glanced around at the others. At her friends. They all held determined looks on their faces.

"General," Magia called, "permission to help and not go back to prison?"

"Granted! As long as you use those Yakuza connections to get us stuff to help Kairi."

"Consider it done."

Kairi felt a soft paw lay on her hand as Chirithy appeared. "Kairi. You don't have to do this alone. Stop trying. It's not a crime to rely on those around you. Your friends want to help you. Your friends here, and back home."

"I just… I don't want to be a burden."

"You're not."

Out of nowhere, Shadow and Bubbles appeared. Bubbles nuzzled up against her, squeaking sadly. Shadow wrapped his wings around her.

She felt Sora's warmth. She felt his comfort. His love.

She felt Riku's pain. His sorrow. His regret.

"I'll get started. Lucky, Stella, why don't you take her back to the dorms. And get her some chocolate ice cream; the king doesn't have to know." Aiko smiled. "And Phinehas said that we're not to tell the king about the Keyblade issue either."

"Yeah."

"Wait…" Kairi turned. "What about Yozora?"

Atlas stood up. "He's alright. We'll take him to medbay and keep him sedated and confined until we are sure who is in control of his body. Him or Frode. We do not want another incident."

"That's true and inform the king of Yozora's condition. If he asks, Kairi was hurt and is recovering, and does not want visitors. Understood?"

"Yes, General!"

* * *

Riku didn't move as he heard footfall enter the room. "I shouldn't have said anything. I shouldn't have said those things before she left! I should never have doubted her!"

"Riku," he heard Aqua's voice over his shoulder, "Nami told me what happened."

"You didn't hear what she said. She said we saw her as the weak link! That she was worthless. A burden."

"I don't know if I should talk, but I can understand why."

Riku turned around, eyeing Isa, who sat by his dog. "Oh really?"

"I did help, or my Nobody helped kidnap her once. I know, she means the world to Sora and she's one of your best friends, so I don't want to make this worse. But, when she was kidnapped, my Nobody did make sure to let her know that she was putting Sora in danger, and that if he got hurt it would be her fault(1). And…" He paused. "I felt abandoned by Lea when he made friends with Roxas and Xion. And if me feeling so bad I would intentionally hurt two innocent kids just because my best friend made other friends, how do you think she felt being left on the beach while you and Sora went off to have adventures and save the world?"

"… I never meant… I never wanted to hurt her. And Sora would never hurt her."

Aqua sat beside him. "We never do. But sometimes we hurt our friends with our good intentions." She glanced up at Terra, smiling sadly. "I know I did." Terra smiled back and placed a hand on her shoulder. "But sometimes those words hurt the most. If you want to fix this, you have to show her, not tell her. We all do. She thinks we all think that way."

"I know I don't." Isa smirked. "I saw her take on Xemnas by herself and make him fall back. He had to restrain her and Sora before we could continue. She's tough. Tougher than she knows."

"If only she could see it."

"Then we will all have to show her."

"Yes. We will."

* * *

Kairi took a bite of chocolate ice cream, letting the sweet taste fill her mouth. "I'm sorry." She said after swallowing her bite. "I should've said something."

"It's fine. We all make mistakes." Stella sighed. "I mean, I screwed up the big mission with my botched surveillance. Nearly got you killed too… but this isn't about me." The blonde girl smiled, handing Kairi a pink fuzzy blanket. "When I was little, I would huddle under this blanket and run away to a magical world in my head when I had a bad day. Want to give it a try?"

"Sure."

Kairi huddled under the pink blanket with her chocolate ice cream. She closed her eyes. Cleared her thoughts, which wasn't hard because right now she was way too emotionally tired to put much thought into anything. And she let her mind wander.

But where would it take her?

What fantasy would unfold before her eyes?

As it appeared in her mind.

She smiled.

Smiled as a single tear trickled down her cheek.

* * *

A figure in a black hood stood over Twilight Town, smiling under his hood, down at the smoldering town. A second figure approached, carrying a bag over his shoulder as he exited a grove of trees.

The hooded figure smirked. "I thought that was you down there. Haven't seen you without the mask in a long time."

"Well, figured the mask would make me stand out." The green-eyed boy with white hair and black spiked bangs grinned. He set down his bag and pulled out a leopard mask. "I figured you and I could have a chat."

"About?"

"This." Gula threw on his robes and his mask. "You said you're doing what the Master wanted you to, but he fought on the side of light. I've watched you. I watched you side with and send Heartless after good people who just want to help the innocent and their friends. And Heartless are defiantly not on the side of light. And then you set fire to an innocent town full of people who were just enjoying a festival."

"Your point, Gula?"

"My point, Luxu, is that you don't act like you're on the side of light. And that makes me wonder why I should even trust that you're on our side." Gula glared under the mask. "Thing is, we never found the traitor before… never. So, either there never was one, or the prophecy was for a later date and we overreacted."

Luxu turned around, lowering his hood. "You don't trust me."

"So you noticed." Gula leaned against a tree. "The last thing that the Master told me was to trust no one but myself. And right now, I see no reason to start trusting people again."

"What are you going to do then?"

"What I want. I'll find the answers my way." The boy smirked, waving as he strode into the trees. "See ya, Luxu."

Luxu's single eye narrowed. "Always the nosy one aren't you…"

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**I hope to update next week but I might update a lot or very little in the next few weeks. We'll see**

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) This is a callback to Sïax's line in KH2 where he tells Kairi that she was "the fire that feeds Sora's anger".


	29. Chapter 29

**I'm in quarantine right now, so let's see how many chapters I can get out.**

**Also… that UX update hurt. **

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Perdita © to chibi-mushroom!**

**Other OCs to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 29: Digging Deeper**

* * *

Kairi slept, albeit difficultly.

Her eyelids flickered open to the warm walls of Lucky's room. But Lucky and Stella were nowhere to be seen.

She sat up. Chirithy lay between Shadow and Bubbles at the foot of her mattress. Hoping not to disturb them, Kairi got up, moving toward the door. She pushed it open quietly and stepped into the hall.

"Kairi?"

"Oh!?" She jumped, turning around. "General! I'm sorry. You just startled me."

The woman smiled warmly. "I'm sorry. I was coming to see if you were awake."

"I just got up."

"Good." Aiko placed a hand on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm… not sure yet."

The general's smile widened. "Well, I hope you'll find today to bring hope. Cid knows where to find some of the materials for your Keyblade. He wants you and Yozora to join him."

"But isn't Yozora-"

"Recovered physically and mostly mentally. Breaking your Keyblade shocked him back yesterday, and he's been muttering 'I'm sorry Kairi' since he woke up. Cid thinks this will be good for both of you."

What else did she have to do today?

"Sure."

The two walked down to Kairi's room, where the girl changed. "So, he's feeling bad about yesterday…"

"And he's worried. He's asked if you're ok at least ten times. He's angry and sad. And I think a little scared. Never has Frode wrestled that much control from him, but it appears that the incident with Magia set it off."

"Can't blame him."

"I know. It messed with all of us." Aiko reached into her large jacket pocket when Kairi finished dressing. "Here. Some pumpkin baozi for breakfast. Cid should be waiting in the hanger for you, so don't keep him waiting."

"Sure."

The girl took a few bites out of the bun as she walked. Her head felt heavy and cloudy, unable to really understand what she was feeling.

Anger? Not really.

Sadness? Maybe a bit.

Confusion? Yeah.

Anxiety? That was it… Not as bad as that full on attack she'd had once, but she was anxious.

What if they didn't find the materials for her Keyblade? What then…?

She'd be stuck here without Sora forever.

Her feet carried her down into the hanger. Yozora and Cid stood near the back of the airship waiting. "Kairi! Over here!"

She walked over, glancing at the prince, who averted his eyes.

"Hope you're ready for some exploring! We're going into the caves under the city!"

"Caves?"

Cid grinned widely. "Yeah. Now, there might be monsters down there, and since you and Yozora are without weapons, I'll protect you!"

Yozora didn't have weapons?

He didn't.

Aiko probably had them confiscated for the time being. Smart.

"Now. Let's get moving!" He walked toward another hallway. "I've heard rumors tat tonberries used to live down here. Maybe we'll meet one! Oh that would be so amazing!"

The maze of hallways he lead them down seemed endless. But Yozora never spoke a word. Awkward.

"So…" Kairi finally said after a while, "are you feeling better?"

"Don't worry about me. How are you feeling?"

"I'm as ok as I can be."

"I'm sorry…"

"It wasn't your fault, Yozora."

"No. It was. I just can't seem to stop hurting people close to me."

From where she walked, Kairi could see his silver eyes shining brightly. This was really him speaking, not that hard exterior he liked to put up.

"Here it is!" Cid cheered.

A door covered in yellow "CAUTION" tape stood before them.

The engineer pulled out a knife to cut the tape. "We were planning to expand the hanger this way eventually, but right now it just leads into the old subway tunnels. A few of them collapsed back in the day and exposed ancient caverns and mines. The few recon teams we've sent down there have mentioned some of the materials that you would need for a new Keyblade, so that's where we're headed."

Cid pulled the door open, revealing a black abyss before them. "Here." He tossed them both a headlamp. "All the subway lighting has gone out, so it's pitch black." He put one on his head, flicking it on to illuminate the bare tunnel before them. It seemed to be an abandoned subway station.

Creepy.

Kairi put the headlamp on and turned it on, as did Yozora.

"Watch your step." Cid called as he jumped through the door.

A foot-long step lay beneath the door, so Kairi jumped down. Yozora followed, closing the door behind them. Any light from the base vanished.

The three alone in the dark, stale air.

"Well, better get moving." Cid strode off, walking at a brisk pace.

The other two followed behind him as he talked.

"The tunnels go for about a quarter of a mile before the cave entrance can be found, so it shouldn't take us all day if we keep moving."

The walk seemed almost unreal, as if Kairi was walking into the Realm of Darkness. She'd never been there, but a dark place with stale air and creepily quiet atmosphere was just what she pictured. Everything within her wanted to cling to one of her companions for fear the darkness would swallow her up.

Maybe it was a Princess of Heart thing to be greatly fearful of pure darkness like that.

"Kairi." Cid spoke softly, slowing so he could walk beside her. "How are you feeling?"

"Right now? Scared out of my mind."

"Not a fan of the dark?"

"No."

"Well, then we'll talk about something else. How about yesterday… what were you feeling yesterday?"

Yesterday?

Great.

"I felt… I feel… stupid. I should've asked for help before this got this bad. And not just from Phinehas. I can communicate with my friends through dreams. I could've asked for help, but I didn't want to look weak. I'm always making messes, getting people hurt, and having to be saved. Just once I wanted to get myself out of my own mess. But now I've made it worse." She sighed. "It's like every time I try to do something. Every time I try to be brave and be the hero I screw it up somehow. And someone else gets hurt."

"Like Sora?"

"Yes…"

"Do you blame himself for his death?"

"I know I shouldn't, but I still do. If I had just stayed out of it Sora would still be here."

"You don't know that." Cid whispered. "So, how did he die exactly?"

Kairi answered, explaining what happened from the point he dove back into dreams to save everyone, how she was killed, and how he saved her.

Yozora never said anything.

He just listened.

"Kairi, it sounds to me like he knew what the cost was, and chose to pay it willingly. You didn't kill him. He chose to sacrifice himself for you. That's not your fault."

Kairi bit her lip as Young Xehanort's face flashed before her eyes. _"Someone like you could never save anyone. So, remember, Kairi… you killed him."_

Tears pricked at her eyes, unable to hold themselves back any further. "I-I just… I promised! I promised I'd keep him safe."

She sobbed, stopping in her tracks as her body shuddered.

"I get it." Yozora whispered. "The maiden and I knew our fates, and she willingly chose to go along with it. She made me swear on my own life to pull that trigger when the time came. I never wanted to… never."

Cid glanced around. "Well, we're far enough into the cave, let's take a break." He plopped onto the ground.

Cave? Kairi hadn't even noticed they'd left the subway and stood now in a tunnel of dark rock. Stalactites hung from the ceiling overhead, and water dripped. Somewhere she could hear a trickle of water running, the sound echoing through the cave.

She and Yozora sat down beside one another.

Two of a kind they were.

"Did you know, I was engaged once?" Cid asked, eyes focused on a small tonberry toy in his hand. "Beautiful young woman named Perdita. She was a lover and a fighter who could stand beside me and the king in our glory days. Beautiful girl… I loved her with all my heart. She was kind, if not a little unsure of herself. Honestly, Kairi, you remind me a lot of her." He looked up at them. "I made her a custom weapon to fight off the gigas when they attacked. She asked me to make it. I was so excited, but… I overdid it. The gun I made was too powerful. It knocked her off her feet, stunning her long enough… just long enough for a giga to crush her under its heel."

"Cid…"

"I hated myself so much. I'd made that weapon, and because of it she died. I sat out of so much of the war against the gigas after that; you would always find me in a bar, drowning my sorrows in a drink. It was your father, Yozora, who snapped me out of it. Him, and an up and coming general by the name of Aiko. I still struggle with the drink sometimes, but I had to accept something. Perdita wouldn't want me to wallow in grief. She would want me to move on. Not to say that grief itself is bad, because we need it to help deal with our feelings, but we shouldn't wallow in it and hurt ourselves in the process. I firmly believe that the maiden and Sora wouldn't want you to wallow in grief either. So, please… stop blaming yourself. It hurts only yourself."

Kairi wrung her hands. "But what if there's a chance to get them back?"

"All the more reason to stop blaming yourself. That way they won't lecture you about it when they get back."

Yozora stifled a chuckle. "She would lecture me…"

"Probably." Cid stretched before standing. "Come on. We can't waste time if we want to get your Keyblade materials." He helped Kairi stand up as Yozora got to his feet. "Follow the sound of water. There should be a cavern with a pool in it. That's the place."

"Alright."

"Apparently that cavern is where tonberries are supposed to live!"

"Whatever you say, Cid."

The cave seemed less scary than the subway station. The running water gave it some life, making Kairi picture the secret place. The sound of water dripping from the various vines, and the small pools that would form after a rainstorm.

"There!" Cid cheered.

The cave opened up into a large cavern. Their lights bounced off the pool in the middle and various gems in the walls.

"Aw… no tonberries… Oh well. We came here for gems. So, Kairi, what kind of Keyblade are you thinking? Physically powerful, magically inclined, or a balance?"

"Balance."

"Alright then." He handed them each a list with pictures of various gems and a small hammer. "We'll need some blaze, bright, frost, lucid, and thunder shards for magic. And power, spirit, and serenity shards for power(1). Get some extra bright and serenity shards too. I think those really fit Kairi. Now, hop to it."

Kairi took her list over to a wall, gently touching a spirit shard. The gem glistened under her touch, pulsing with magic.

Another step closer to fixing her Keyblade.

* * *

"Nice job!" Cid dropped the last shard into his bag. "That should be plenty."

"Cid," Yozora spoke up. "I was thinking… you ever told us how you stopped blaming yourself for Perdita's death."

Cid looked up. "I didn't? Well let's fix that." He looked them both square in the eyes. "I forgave myself."

"Huh?"

"I accepted that I did have some sort of hand in her death. We all did, whether willing or not. And then I forgave myself for that. Now, that's easier said than done itself, but even if you have to look in the mirror and tell yourself that, you need to do it. It's the hardest thing to do, but it makes all the difference in the end."

"Forgive myself…" Kairi clasped her hand over her heart.

Yozora stared at the floor, silently thinking. "Thanks Cid."

"No problem. And here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two little toy lanterns. "Perdita gave me a massive box of them. They're tonberry lanterns. She said I should give them to people who need some light in their life. And right now, you two need it."

"Thanks Cid." Kairi looked down at it. If she'd had her Keyblade, it could've been a keychain. Maybe it could be one when her Keyblade was fixed.

"Thanks…" Yozora's gaze softened, his silver eye glistening as he looked up. "Wait…" He began to walk toward the pool.

Kairi followed after him. "Yozora?"

The prince looked around. "I… know this place. I remember it." He jogged to the other side of the cavern. "Here!"

Cid and Kairi followed him around the pool and past a tall group of stalagmites. A dark cloth fluttered over an opening in the rock wall. "What's this?"

Yozora pushed the cloth aside. Kairi followed, watching as his silver eye seemed to brighten with every moment; some silver seeped into his red eye. "We used to play here… Father had the entrance to the tunnels sealed after the maiden and I would come here to play… This was our hideaway."

He knelt down, picking up old books and drawings.

"I remember these…"

He lifted up a tin box, gently removing the lid.

Two little cloth dolls lay inside, a boy and a girl, atop a pile of clothing. "I made these dolls… when I was a kid." He picked up the boy doll.

Kairi looked at it. Silver eyes and soft lavender hair.

Is that what he used to look like? And the clothes the doll wore were of warm colors, oak brown and green with a teal scarf.

This was the old Yozora.

The real Yozora.

Yozora turned the doll over and pulled up the shirt to reveal a "Y" stitched into the back of the doll. "This was mine."

He laid down his doll and picked up the girl one. A girl with purple eyes and brown hair; the doll wore a long flowery dress with a bow in the back.

"And this was hers." He pushed down the dress collar in the back. "M."

"What?"

"Her name… the maiden's name!" He showed them the back of the doll. "Her name started with an M!"

* * *

**A far more chill chapter after the last one but… things are happening!**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) These are synthesis materials from the KH series.


	30. Chapter 30

**So, I wrote this chapter the day after I posted the last one, and I'm actually going to try and write another chapter tonight. **

**My goal is to write at least one chapter a day and finish this fic while I'm in isolation!**

**So let's go!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me! **

**Other OCs © to their respective owners! **

* * *

**Chapter 30: DIY**

* * *

"Think you can get that computer back up and running?"

"I do." Ienzo smiled up at Riku. "The backup one can work for now, but this computer is worth a lot. I should have it fixed by the end of the day if Pence gets back with the parts I need."

Isa turned a page of the book he was reading. "You do know this is a school day?"

Ienzo paused. "Oh. Yeah. I'll just go get them myself…" He sheepishly shuffled out of the basement.

Isa smirked. "He's so oblivious sometimes. Come on, let's head upstairs." They walked up, with Aqua waiting up in the library for them. "Go for it."

The young woman nodded. "Alright."

Riku sighed. "Think she'll be able to help?"

"Apparently she knows more than the rest of us about Keyblades, so she's the best option, unless we get Master Yen Sid down here."

"I'd rather Aqua, and I bet Kairi would too."

Aqua heard their voices disappear as she went down into the basement. Now all she had to do was watch the computer until Kairi fell asleep.

Aerith and the Fairy Godmother were watching from Radiant Garden, waiting as well.

She turned on the computer, immediately seeing Kairi sitting with the red-haired guy, the guy with glasses, and the guy who tried to kill her before.

_"__So, that's one thing off the list." _

_"__Magia," the man with glasses asked, "were you able to find your part?"_

_"__Yep. Lucky is helping me out too. I was able to locate the buyer for some orichalcum and orichalcum+." _

_"__Good." _

_Kairi smiled as she drank some tea before her. "Thank you again, guys. For everything." _

_"__It's the least we can do." _

_"__You're our teammate. Our friend." _

_"__You would do the same for us."_

Aqua smiled. Kairi made some good friends.

She watched.

Watched as Kairi left her friends and went back to her room. As the girl settled into bed, Aqua heard a sound behind her.

"Ready dear?"

She turned to see the Fairy Godmother. "I am."

The two walked into the pod room. Aqua entered, waiting for the pod to close. The white petals came up, clicking together with a hiss as sleep began to pull at her already.

"Aqua, dear, focus on Kairi. Focus with all your heart."

Darkness engulfed her.

* * *

_Kairi found herself in a wooded glen as dreams took over her mind. "What is this place?" _

_"__Kairi?" _

_"__Aqua!?" _

_The older girl smiled. "It worked!" _

_"__What worked?"_

_"__Fairy Godmother thought she might be able to connect us through dreams. We've only used the dream eaters up until now, but we really needed to talk in person for this." Aqua looked around. "Surprised the dreams would take us here." _

_Kairi looked around. "Where is here?" _

_"__This is the woodlands below the castle on The Land of Departure. Terra and I would play here when we were younger." Aqua motioned for Kairi to follow. "So, Riku, Terra, Isa, and Nami saw what happened yesterday." _

_"__They did…? What did they hear?" _

_"__Everything." _

_Oh._

_Oh boy. _

_"__Kairi. I know we really don't know each other well, but I just want to say, if I ever made you feel like you were unimportant or a burden… I'm sorry." _

_"__You don't have to apologize Aqua." _

_"__I think I do, and I know the others want to as well. Especially Riku. He's pretty torn up about it all."_

_Not surprising. Kairi could clearly remember what he said to her before she left. He probably felt awful. _

_"__But that's not why I'm here." Aqua pushed aside some leaves revealing a small pond. She sat down on a log and waited for Kairi to sit with her. "I'm here to help with the Keyblade." _

_Kairi blinked. "You are?" _

_"__Yes. I'm not sure where your friend got the information on the materials to make a Keyblade, but he was right. You're doing well on that front. And you know you need a pocket of strong ancient magic, right?"_

_"__Yes." _

_"__Good. And I will tell you how to make a Keyblade." _

_Kairi's eyes lit up. "You will!?" _

_"__Yes." The girl smiled. "I wanted to make my own at one point, but Master Eraqus insisted we follow tradition, so he forged mine. It's actually very uncommon for a wielder to make their own weapon now. Usually a master does it for them, like how Master Yen Sid forged Mickey and Riku's new Keyblades." _

_Aqua looked out at the pond, studying the ripples in the water. The air felt cool, still. Calm. _

_"__Keyblades are a manifestation of our hearts. They represent a part of us. So, forging one is like forging your own heart into a weapon. It's simpler for someone else to do it, but you don't have that option." She looked back at Kairi. "It will not be easy, or painless. Forging your Keyblade will bring all the pains of your heart, as well as the good parts, to the top. You will have to face all of it at once. So, you must be prepared." _

_That didn't sound fun._

_"__I don't know if I'm ready then." _

_"__You will be by that time. I believe in you." The older girl laid a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "You will imbue the ingredients together with magic, focusing on your heart. They will do the rest. You just have to keep focused and deal with what comes from your heart." _

_"__How long does it take?"_

_"__That I don't know. I did a lot of research on it back in the day, but there was never a time given. It probably depends on the wielder, but I wouldn't try to rush the process when the time comes. You want this Keyblade to be strong." _

_"__Aqua, why did my Keyblade break…?" _

_Aqua smiled sadly. "Keyblade reflect the heart, remember. When a heart changes, the Keyblade may break and need to be replaced to reflect the new heart. That is why Riku and Mickey's Keyblades broke(1). After hearing what you said, I think yours broke because your heart was fractured. Everything you've been through has damaged your heart in some way. Our hearts are always being damaged, but some damage is worse than others and can cause cracks in our hearts. And that can affect our Keyblades too. That's why yours broke I believe. All the more reason you need to be ready to face what is in your heart when the time comes." _

_Could she be ready? _

_All that pain…_

_All that damage._

_"__I don't know if I'll ever be ready." _

_"__Kairi," Aqua took the girl's hands, "we all believe in you. When Ven lost his heart, Master Yen Sid told me to believe. You believed in Sora. We believed that you and Sora would come back. We believe in you now, more than ever. You are stronger than you think. Everyone says it. Axel hasn't stopped talking about how amazing you are after what he heard you say, and now he's threatening anyone who dares say you are anything less than a strong and capable warrior." _

_Kairi giggled. "Sounds like him." _

_"__You can do this. We know you can. And we will do our best to make sure you never feel weak, helpless, or like a burden ever again." _

_Tears pricked at the edges of Kairi's eyes. "Aqua… thank you." _

_The girls hugged. "When this is over, I want to spend some time with you. I want to see what you've learned here in this world and maybe teach you some myself." _

_"__That would be so fun. Sora and Ven could train together too."_

_"__And if Riku came along he and Terra could spar." They laughed. _

_"__Then I'll come to the Land of Departure after all this. Me, Sora, and Riku. Promise!" _

_"__Good." Aqua smiled. "Oh, and there is one more thing I nearly forgot. Before you can forge the Keyblade you need a keychain. It needs to be something special. Something close to your heart. It will make the Keyblade even more powerful. Think you can remember all that?" _

_Kairi nodded. "I will! Thank you so much Aqua!" _

_"__You're very welcome. It was the least I could do. Now, I would love to stay and chat, but apparently connecting dreams like this, and across this distance, takes a great toll on Fairy Godmother. So, I'll leave you. See you when you get back." _

_"__See you, Aqua." Kairi watched as the older girl stood, walking toward the trees as she began to vanish from sight. The dream world around her began to fade as well, dropping Kairi into a soft light that reminded her of home._

_Of Sora._

* * *

Kairi's eyes fluttered open.

"Have a good dream?"

"I did." She glanced over at Chirithy. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"I may have followed along and listened in a bit."

The girl giggled, picking up the dream eater. Her heart felt a little lighter.

Her friends, in both worldlines, were lining up to help her. She began wondering why she'd felt so alone before. Now she could see them, all her friends around her. Clearly.

"I need to call Phinehas." She picked up her comlink. "Phinehas, are you awake?"

"_Yeah… I'm up. Been reading all night. What's up?_"

"I know how to forge a Keyblade. My friend told me in a dream last night."

"_Wh-what!? That's awesome! So, what do we need to do!?_"

"Focus on getting the materials and finding the magical location. I'll handle the rest."

"_Sounds great! Oh this is so exciting! I might just burst! Imma keep looking! Bye!_"

The girl smiled.

Again, how was it that he became one of this country's leaders?

She jumped out of bed.

There was no time to waste. She had to be ready… had to be ready.

Maybe she'd never be ready to face what was inside her heart, but she had to try anyways. Not just for her sake, but for Sora's.

After she dressed, she went down, pausing as she heard noise coming from the training room.

She knew that voice.

Her feet carried her inside.

Yozora wasn't attacking the training dummies this time, but like last time papers lay scattered across the floor.

Some were technical schematics, no doubt from Frode.

But others were sketches… of a person, a girl.

Angry scribbles and tears covered the papers across the room.

"No… no… that's not it."

Yozora scribbled out another piece on his sketchpad before tearing it out and tossing it away.

"Yozora?" Kairi carefully spoke.

He looked up. "Good morning, Kairi."

"How long have you been in here?"

"All night…"

She looked around at the papers. "That… doesn't surprise me actually. So, what are you doing?"

"Well, I was trying to keep Frode from drawing more schematics, at first. But, now I'm trying to remember her. I thought, maybe if I draw her, I'd remember. I can draw her hair, the shape of her jaw, but her face. It's a blank. I can't remember a single detail. I do know, thanks to the doll, that she had purple eyes. But, a lot of good that does me right now." He held up a set of graphite pencils. "I'm not exactly drawing in color am I."

Kairi sat beside him, picking up the piece he'd just thrown away. The picture looked detailed. Every strand of hair so lovely and delicate around the heart-shaped face. Her neck went down and she could see the top of a dress in the drawing. But the face was blank. Everything but the face shaded, drawn to the finest detail.

"I can't recall the shape of her eyes, nose, or mouth. That's all I want… I want to remember her face. And then maybe her name will come to me."

Kairi now noticed a notepad beside Yozora. He'd listed names. Names starting with the letter M.

Mackenzie.

Macie.

Mary.

Melissa.

Millie.

Ming.

Madison.

Mae.

Mai.

Mali.

Manami.

Mao.

"Lots of name starting with "Ma" on this list."

"It felt right." He said as he began to sketch again. "I guess that's the first two letters, but none of the names I could think of sounded right, or even struck some sort of memory. So, I stopped when I ran out of ideas."

"I see."

They sat there, Kairi watching as he drew each strand of hair. His hand moved gently, barely touching the page at some points.

"So, have you thought about what Cid said yesterday?"

"Have you?"

"A little… I was able to talk to one of my friends in my dreams, and I think I need to do what Cid says to make my Keyblade. My heart needs to be ready, and it's not yet. What about you?"

Yozora paused, putting down one pencil to pick up another. "I don't think I can do it just yet."

"Yet?"

"Not until I remember her. Not just her face, but her name. I want to remember her. Then, I'll forgive myself. But not before."

"You're stubborn."

"What else is new."

Kairi smiled, looking down at the list. "Then, I guess we'll just have to keep searching for her too."

"You have other things to focus on."

"It's called multitasking." She looked over at her friend. "I will help you remember her. You've helped me, and everyone here is helping, so let me help you too, Yozora."

He stopped, lowering his sketchpad and pencil.

"Are you sure you can do anything to help?"

"I'm going to try."

He looked into her eyes, his silver one glistening with hope and longing. "Thank you…"

"You're welcome."

* * *

**Guys, we're ELEVEN chapters away from the end of this story!**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) This is my headcanon for why Riku's Keyblade broke. Way to Dawn no longer reflected the state of his heart.


	31. Chapter 31

**After this chapter, it's full speed ahead to the end of the fic!**

**I hope you guys are ready! You might be getting daily updates too.**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 31: Bar Fight**

* * *

"KAIRI!"

"Lucky… It's almost time for bed. What are you screaming about?"

"Forget sleep! Get dressed again and I'll have an energy drink waiting for you! I'm getting Stella."

Kairi rubbed her eyes as she redressed. Why was it soooo important that sleep had to be sacrificed for it?

The girl tromped down the hall to Stella's cave. The blonde had practically barricaded herself inside the last few days.

"Stel, open this door!" Lucky knocked. "Stella! I know you're waiting for your new equipment, but you can't lock yourself inside forever." Lucky glanced over at Kairi. "She needs to get some air." The supply manager knelt down, pulling out a few tools from her pocket, which she stuck in the door lock.

A minute later, she turned the handle and swung the door open.

Kairi stepped in after her friend. Stella sat hunched in her chair in front of torn apart computer parts. Seemed she'd either been tampering with them or had been trying to fix her old stuff.

"Steeeeeeella!" Lucky grabbed the blonde, jerking her out of the seat. "Let's go!"

"Lucky, leave me alone." Stella huffed.

"No! I'm not going by myself."

"Going where?"

"To get the orichalcum+ for your Keyblade of course. I'm meeting my contact tonight."

Stella glared. "And why am I going?"

"To get out of this hole and to blow off some steam. Come on."

Stella groaned, but let Lucky drag her out.

"Alright. Kairi, you know some hand to hand combat, right?"

"Yeah."

"And Stel, you have your shock pistol?"

"Yes."

"Great!" The three girls went downstairs and hopped into a cab.

Kairi looked across at the angry Stella, who glared out the window silently. Ever since she got hacked, Stella had been… distant. Angry.

Her pride in her work shattered.

"So, Lucky, where are we going?"

"Well, my contact from the black market is meeting me at a bar. I've got the cash, and he's got the goods. Thing is, I got a new guy who doesn't really know how much it's worth, so I got it cheap."

"You lied to him."

"No, I just neglected to tell him the exact price. But we did sign a contract, so he can't go back on the deal." Lucky smirked. "That being said, I have a feeling he'll try and screw me over anyways. That's why you two are here. You've both had it rough these last few weeks, and I've found that there's nothing more therapeutic than punching the lights out of some thugs."

Could… could Kairi legally enter a bar?

Even if she couldn't, that wouldn't stop Lucky.

The cab stopped near… what could only be described as a seedy pub. It literally looked like a place to make back alley deals or get stabbed through the ribs.

Great.

Really great.

"Stay close and don't make eye contact with anyone unless you want their attention."

"Have you done this before?" Stella asked.

Lucky waved her hand. "Oh, only a few times… five I think."

"Oh my gosh, Lucky."

The blue-haired girl just grinned as they entered. She glanced around before walking directly to a table where a young man with long inky black hair sat, his eyes shifting around nervously.

"Oh Kalas(1)!"

"Shut it! Are you trying to get us noticed."

Lucky laughed. "Ok, first rule to being sneaky, don't try to be sneaky. You just look suspicious." She slid into the chair across from Kalas, turning back to wink at the two girls who stood awkwardly behind her.

Kairi glanced around. Her parents would kill her if they knew she was in a place like this.

But what they don't know can't hurt them.

"Just be quiet. And who are they? You never said anything about friends?"

"I trust them, and they need to be here."

"Fine, whatever. Do you have the cash?"

"Of course. And do you have the thing I asked for?"

"Yes, but I think we need to renegotiate a bit."

"A bit?"

Kalas leaned across the table, grinning. "A little birdie told me this thing is worth way more than 30,000 gil. He said it's somewhere around 3 million. So, I think you owe me a bit more, Miss Lucky."

He glanced around, Kairi and Stella tensed as they saw a few men come closer.

So he had backup.

"Thing is," Lucky said calmly, "we signed a deal, which you read aloud, that said we weren't negotiating the price further. Now, I would've been willing to go up or down a little, but 3 million is far too much. So, take the 30,000, or I'll make you take it."

"Or I'll just take both."

A man reached for Lucky's shirt collar only for Stella to whip him with the butt of her shock pistol.

"BAR FIGHT!"

And that was it.

Everything seemed to freeze for a moment until someone grabbed a bottle of wine and hit another person with it. The bar erupted in an all-out brawl.

Stella fired her pistol at someone who charged her way. "I've always wanted to do that…"

Kairi laughed as she kicked another man away.

When the fight erupted, Lucky flipped the table, sending Kalas to the floor before she pulled out her shotgun.

No need for bullets though. She just hit people with it.

The girls weren't sure who they were hitting, but anyone who came close was a target. Kairi, after punching the lights out of some guy who tried to grab her hair, spotted Kalas, crawling away in the confusion.

"Oh no you don't!" She jumped over the flipped table, slipping through the cluster of people in her way. Her fingers clasped around the top of a beer bottle. "You're not going anywhere!"

She swung her arm down, smashing the bottle over the man's head.

"Nice job!" Lucky appeared beside her, shoving the 30,000 into the dazed man's coat before grabbing a box from his pocket. She opened it and grinned. "Pleasure doing business with you. STELLA! We're going!"

"Coming!" The three girls jumped onto the bartop and ran around most of the confusion.

Lucky dropped the bartender a bag. "That should cover everything! Sorry about the mess!"

They leapt out the door, hailing a nearby cab. Tumbling in, Stella gasped. "Military HQ!" And the cab took off.

Silence.

They leaned against the back seat, panting.

"Heh." Kairi breathed out the first laugh.

The three dissolved into giggles, which changed to full on laughter.

"I can't believe we just did that!"

"That was awesome!"

Kairi pulled off her hat, still laughing. "I've never done anything like that before in my life! I just broke a bottle over someone's head…"

They all fell once more into laughter.

Halfway back to base the laughing finally subsided as their adrenaline began to wane. "How did you get us into that?" Stella breathed out.

"Thank Magia I guess. He got me in touch with that guy."

"Oh. So Kalas was a Yakuza guy?"

"I think he was just a mule they used sometimes."

They fell silent again.

"At least he's using his connections for us." Stella muttered. "But, I don't know how to feel about what he did."

Kairi nodded but smiled slightly. "I can forgive him. I mean, I forgave my friend Riku after he let a maniac take over his body and subsequently almost destroy the universe. And I forgave Axel who kidnapped me. I think I can forgive Magia."

"You're such a sweetie, Kairi."

Stella stared out the window again. "Do you think he had anything to do with me getting hacked?"

"No." Lucky shook her head. "Magia wouldn't do that to you, and besides, the LLE stuff was sabotaged not the Yakuza surveillance. It was probably the LLE guy who was able to hack the giga's network. You said it yourself that whoever did that was better than you."

Stella nodded. "Yeah… guess so. But I still don't know how they did it. I double and triple checked everything. My defense was flawless, and yet… I…" Whether from the memory or the remnants of adrenaline, the girl began crying. "My screwup nearly got you killed, Kairi. You and a team of soldiers. That was on me. I should've seen it. I'm sorry…"

Kairi reached over, taking the girl's hand. "I've never blamed you for that. You're my friend and you would never hurt me. But if it makes you feel better, I forgive you."

Stella's lip began quivering as she sobbed. "You're the best! Thank you… I was so worried you blamed me… I just. I feel so bad… But I won't let it happen again. I promise."

Kairi and Lucky smiled. Lucky threw her arms around the two. "We'll watch out for each other. We're besties after all!"

"Besties?"

"Best friends! Unless-"

Kairi grinned. "No, you're right. Besties!" The three girls hugged as the cab pulled to a stop.

"Lucky, do you have the manifest for my new computer?"

"Yeah, it should arrive tomorrow. And here." She handed Kairi the box. "Orichalcum+. One step closer. Go find Magia, I think he has another piece."

"Thanks."

"Hold on!" Stella grabbed Kairi's arm. "Lucky and I have something for you. I know you can't use it yet, but you will." She handed Kairi a small keychain; a pink rod with a heart on top and some wings. "I've had this for years, and I think you should have it."

Lucky handed her a dressphere. "And this is to go with it."

"We may have acted hopeful with the design. We really hope the Keyblade is like a magical girl thing… we both really like this anime about magical girls, and even though the show is dark, the magical girl powers are super cool, and you would look so cool as one!"

Kairi giggled, pocketing the keychain and dressphere. "Thanks! I hope it turns out how you hoped. And maybe you can show me this anime sometime."

"Sure!"

"Just be warned, it won't go how you expect(2)."

"Nothing ever does." Kairi headed up the stairs, yawning a little. "Later, besties!"

"Later Kairi!"

* * *

"Kairi!"

The girl stopped as she passed the training room. "What…? I'm going to bed."

"Put a pause on that," Magia grabbed her arm and pulled her into the training room where Aegis and Yozora sat, "because I've got two things to tell you! First, guess who got an official pardon from the king… THIS GUY! Though, I do have to be a double agent now for the military against the Yakuza, but I'm ok with that. And second," He pulled out a small blue gem. "Orichalcum!"

Kairi's eyes lit up as she pulled out a box. "Lucky, Stella, and I just got the orichalcum+!"

"Oh wow! Lucky works fast. Hope it wasn't too hard to get."

"We got in a bar fight, and I broke a bottle over someone's head to get it."

Magia let out a deep laugh. "Wow! You must be tired."

"So," Aegis crossed something off the list in his hand. "All we need is mithril."

"I think I have some." Kairi whispered. "But I'm not sure."

"Alright, check on that."

"Then," Chirithy appeared with a poof, "we have everything but the magical place."

"Which Phinehas is working on."

Chirithy tapped his chin. "Alright… so we need to finish things up if we're almost ready to go. Kairi, do you think your heart is ready to forge a Keyblade?"

"No. I don't think I am."

The dream eater sat down. "Then I think it's time for you to visit him in your dreams."

"Huh?"

"Sora." He glanced over at Yozora. "And maybe we can help Yozora too. I might be able to guide both of your dreams to the final world so you can talk to the people you need to."

Yozora's eyes lit up. "You can do that?"

"I can. Normally you'd have to think of the person you want to see, but after watching Kairi's dreams, I think I can guide you both directly there. It will help Kairi get the closure she needs, and you can find the maiden and maybe remember everything."

"Then let's do it!"

Aegis stood up. "So, what do we do?"

"We need a place they can lay down, preferably close to one another, so I can be close to both of them."

Magia nodded. "That won't be a problem." He put a finger to his comlink. "Atlas, hey do you have two beds available in the same room?" He grinned. "Great! We want a reservation for tonight." He pulled his finger away. "Done."

Kairi felt her heart skip. She was going to see him…

Finally.

"Let's do it."

* * *

**10 chapters from the end! **

**Hope you enjoyed it!**

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) Kalas is a reference to the antagonist of the ninja questline in FF14. The antagonist's name is Karasu Kanshi. Karasu means crow, as does Kalas.

(2) This show I'm imagining them watching is "Puella Magia Modoka Magica", which I watched recently and fell in love with the show. It was crazy and dark, and not what I pictured at all for a magical girl anime.

* * *

_VAs:_

_Kalas Kanshi- __Kyle McCarley (Evan Edroch, Claudia Hodgins, Yushiro, 9S)_


	32. Chapter 32

**I may or may not have written two chapters in one day and I'm totally posting them quickly because I'm so excited! **

**We're in the end game now guys!**

**And I think I will finish this before MoM comes out!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 32: Dreamwalkers**

* * *

"Think this will work?"

Aegis pushed up his glasses. "I don't know. This is outside my area of expertise. But I hope it does, for both of them."

They sat down in two chairs, facing the two medical beds where Yozora and Kairi lay. Magia glanced at the clock on the wall. One in the morning.

He pushed his hat over his eyes. "Well, I'm tired and there's nothing better to do than sleep ourselves."

"Agreed." Aegis pulled off his glasses and leaned back in the chair.

Nothing to do but wait.

* * *

_Kairi opened her eyes to the clean view of The Final World. _

_"__It's been a while." _

_"__This place is so much brighter than I remember it." Yozora stood beside her._

_Chirithy walked out in front of them. "That's because your side, the place closer to the door, is darker. It sides more toward death. But the lighter place sides more toward sleep." _

_"__This place is endless." Yozora huffed. "How are we supposed to find them?" _

_"__Follow your hearts." _

_Kairi closed her eyes, but she felt nothing… her heart didn't want her to go anywhere?_

_Yozora on the other hand- "This way!" He jogged across the rippling landscape, Kairi and Chirithy behind him. _

_It almost felt like they weren't moving at all. The sky and the sea never changed. _

_But they kept going._

_"__Do you feel anything, Kairi?" _

_"__No… not even a little." _

_Yozora stopped. "You can't feel Sora?" _

_"__No. I'm not sure why." _

_"__Don't worry," a sweet, gentle voice said, "he'll find you. He's waited long enough." They turned._

_A figure stood before them. A young woman, at least the outline of her. She seemed there, but not quite. _

_She looked at Yozora, her gaze softening. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Yozora?" _

_"__I-it's you!" _

_The maiden._

_He stumbled toward her. "You're really here." _

_"__Almost. I don't think I'll fully form until you remember me. Tell me, Yozora, what have you forgotten?" Her hand came up, gently cupping his face, or trying to, as her hand went right through him. _

_"__Your name." _

_"__Now that is troubling, isn't it? A name is an important thing. But I know it's somewhere in that head of yours. So, how about a hint." She giggled. "Starts with an M(1)."_

_"__I already knew that mu-" He gasped, stepping back. His hands went to his head. Kairi watched from the side, watched as his red eye flashed completely silver for a moment. He stood up, his hands shaking as they lowered. "M-M-Ma-Maris..?"_

_"__Yes." The girl breathed out, her voice watery. _

_Color began creeping up her legs. A silvery white dress and shoes glittered in the gentle light. It traveled up, to the white-gloved hands, silver star necklace, chestnut brown hair that fell in gentle waves around her violet eyes. _

_"__Maris!" _

_Yozora leapt forward, wrapping his arms around her. Maris returned the hug, tears flowing from her eyes. "Yozora… I've missed you so much." _

_"__And I you." _

_They pulled back, Maris taking his face in her hands. "You look so different… I guess the change fully happened when I passed." She touched a lock of his hair. "I can't deny this cut looks good on you, but I liked the old color." _

_"__I agree." He smiled. "I-I think I remember everything now. Who I used to be. What was I like. I'm not that person anymore though, and because Frode's heart and mine are one, I may never be him again." _

_Maris took his hands. "You may never be the very same, but I still see the same friend, the same man I grew up with. And fell in love with." She giggled. "At least we can dye your hair back if we need to." _

_"__Yeah." Yozora laughed, a real laugh. One Kairi hadn't heard once since she'd known him. "The hair can be fixed. And we will bring you back, I promise." _

_"__I believe you. If there's one thing I've learned since meeting him, it's that believing in someone can make impossible things happen." _

_"__Him?" _

_"__Sora. He's been my companion here for some time now." She glanced over at Kairi. "Don't you worry. He'll find you. And thank you, Kairi. Thank you for helping my dear Yozora."_

_"__It was no trouble at all." _

_Ok, maybe a little trouble at points, but whatever._

_Kairi stood there, watching as the two talked, holding their arms around one another. _

_So happy. _

_She wrapped her arms around herself, closing her eyes, if only someone would hold her like that right now._

_"__Kairi?!"_

_She opened her eyes to see the world swimming before her. "What!?"_

_"__Don't worry." Chirithy said. "You're being pulled to someone's dream right now. That's alright. I figured it might happen. Let it happen." _

_The sky and sea vanished, replaced with a soft blanket all around her. She pushed it back to reveal…_

_"__My bedroom." _

_Her childhood bedroom from Radiant Garden. She pushed back the covers of her bed, looking around the small room. _

_"__Not just that." Chirithy said. "Look at yourself." He pointed toward a mirror._

_Kairi gasped. She was five. Five years old again._

_"__I don't think this is Sora's dream." _

_"__I don't either, but I'll go look for him, and I'll bring him here." The dream eater poofed away as Kairi slipped out of bed. Everything looked so strange from this height. _

_She felt so small, and a little helpless as she pushed the bedroom door open._

_Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the back of a blonde woman. The woman, turned around, freezing as she saw the girl._

_"__M-Mother?" _

_"__Kairi?" _

_The woman, Clover, dropped to her knees as Kairi came closer. She reached out and pulled Kairi into a warm hug. _

_This._

_This is what Kairi wanted. This is why she'd been pulled into this dream. She wanted someone to hold her. _

_"__Kaimu! Kaimu!" _

_At his wife's call, the red-haired man ran in. Gasping as he saw his daughter. "Kairi!?" He dropped down, pulling both girls into his arms. "How are you here? Are you… dead like us?" _

_Kairi shook her head, still taking in the warmth of her parents. "No. This is a dream. I felt lonely… and I wanted someone to hold me, so I ended up here." _

_Clover giggled. "Well, we're here for you. But if you're not dead…" _

_"__Mom, this isn't what I look like now." Kairi looked up. "I'm seventeen, but I guess the dream just made me look like this." _

_"__Seventeen… It's been twelve years…" _

_Kaimu picked up the little girl and set her on the couch between him and Clover. "Do you want to tell us how your life has gone and why you were lonely?"_

_"__Well, alright…" _

_Kairi sat between her parents. She told them about her parents on the islands, and they seemed so happy that she'd found such wonderful and loving people to care for her._

_And her mother- "You live by an ocean!? I've never seen one before. I've always wanted to though." _

_Kairi told them about her friendship with Riku and Sora. _

_About the adventures across worlds. And how she mostly took a back seat in all of them. And then, she told them about what happened at the Keyblade graveyard. _

_Her father nearly burst into tears. And her mother looked ready to punch someone._

_But she told them more. About Sora. What he did for her. How he saved her and sacrificed himself to do so. _

_And why she was here, on this journey to find him. To save him. _

_"__I've now dug myself into a hole… I lost my Keyblade because I was too stubborn to ask for help. I'm close now to fixing it, but I don't think my heart is ready. I came here to talk to Sora, to try and get my heart set right, so I can reforge my weapon and save him." _

_Clover took her daughter's hands. "Kairi, it's never wrong to rely on someone for help. Your father and I had you when we were young, and we needed someone to help us." _

_"__That's right," Kaimu smiled, "and my mother helped. She gave us a place to live and helped raise you too. Of course, we didn't freeload. She agreed to help us as long as we worked or went to school. And that's the thing; even if someone helps you, that doesn't mean you sit on the sidelines and do nothing. Then they're doing the work for you. Asking for help means you work together to solve a problem." _

_Kairi looked at her father. "I just feel like I'm always a burden. Every time I do something on my own I just screw it up. I'm worried that even if I fix my Keyblade I won't save him. I feel like I'll just mess it up again." _

_"__You don't have confidence in yourself…" _

_"__I don't see anything to be confident about. I'm nothing special." _

_A new hand suddenly took hers. _

_"__That's not true. You're the most special person in all the worlds." _

_She gasped, looking into the deep blue eyes of the one she'd come for. _

_"__Sora!" She stood up, barely registering that she stood at her full seventeen-year-old height. _

_Sora wrapped his arms around her. "Don't talk about yourself that way… please." _

_"__Huh?" _

_"__You're not a burden. You're not a screwup. You're a bright, special person. You make the world brighter just by existing." _

_Kairi leaned her head against him. "You're talking about yourself…"_

_"__I'm talking about you, Kairi. Whatever made you feel this way, I'll make it go away." He pulled back, his hands on her shoulders, his eyes serious, but kind. "You are a strong, brave, and amazing person. I don't know what's made you feel this way about yourself, and if I ever had anything to do with it, I'm sorry, but know that you are not a burden." _

_Chirithy walked up beside them. "Looks like we made it at just the right time." _

_Clover stood up. "You must be Sora." _

_"__Hm?" The boy glanced over at the couple. "I am. Who are you?" _

_"__Sora, these are my parents." Kairi pulled back, smiling at the two. _

_"__Your parents!?" _

_Clover giggled. "My name is Clover, and this is Kaimu." _

_"__Nice to meet you Sora." The red-haired man grinned. "Now, I think this is the moment I'm supposed to give that 'if you dare hurt my daughter I'll hurt you' speech, but after all I've heard, and what I've just seen, I don't think I need to. You'll take care of her." _

_"__Always." _

_Kairi smiled, resting her head on Sora. "I've missed you so much." _

_"__I've missed you too. But I knew you were coming to find me. You did promise after all to keep me safe." _

_"__Yeah…" Her smile dropped. "But I broke that promise." _

_"__So did I remember." _

_"__But… what if I mess up?"_

_"__You won't." _

_"__I've never saved you before… You've always saved me." _

_"__That's not true." Sora smiled softly. "When I turned into a Heartless you brought me back. And then there was the time when all the Heartless killed all of us and I ended up in the Final World. Remember, you were the one that kept me from fading away, and because of that I was able to bring everyone else back." _

_The girl shook her head. "I didn't do anything. All I did was believe that you wouldn't fade, that's i-"_

_"__All you did was save my life and the lives of all our friends. Stop short-changing yourself. Please." _

_"__I don't know what you see in me… I really don't. I wish I did." _

_Sora grabbed her hands. "What I see? What I see is a girl who, despite showing up on the beach with no memories of her past, lived each day to the fullest. What I see is the girl who followed me to the end of the world, past all those Heartless, without a weapon(2).What I see is the girl who jumped from a balcony and dove into a battle against Heartless with no hesitation. What I see is the girl who saved me from dying when the Heartless attacked. What I see is the girl who is doing everything she can to rescue me, despite what she may have to go through. That's what I see. I see you." _

_Kairi struggled to hold back her tears, but a few slipped through. "I don't deserve you…" _

_"__Yes you do. You deserve the world. It's I who don't deserve you, Kairi." He leaned his head forward, touching his forehead to hers. "And… I'm sorry. I know after you saved me from being a Heartless, I told you to stay behind; I said you'd be in the way. I was wrong… dumb fourteen-year-old me was so wrong. And then, at the end of the world, I should've pulled you to me. We could've gone on adventures together. We should've."_

_"__Donald wouldn't have been happy about it." _

_"__Donald would've gotten over it. But don't worry, when we get back, I never want you to leave my side again. You and me. There's nothing we can't do." _

_"__You want me with you, even though I always get kidnapped?" _

_"__We'll protect each other. And Donald and Goofy will be there too. And don't be afraid about bringing me back. I did the impossible, and you will too. I believe in you. I believe you will succeed, and I know all our friends do too." _

_"__Th-thank you." _

_"__We shared the paopu remember? We're connected. We will remain a part of each other's lives no matter what happens." He pulled back. "Mr. Kaimu, do you have any tools around here?" _

_Kaimu scratched his head. "Yeah… why?" _

_"__I need to borrow them." Sora pulled away. "I'll be right back." He followed Kaimu out of the room. _

_Clover stepped over by her daughter, adjusting Kairi's beret. "He is a keeper. Hold onto that one." _

_"__I intend to." _

_Bang! _

_Bang!_

_What was Sora doing?_

_Bang! _

_Bang! _

_BANG! _

_Silence. _

_Sora and Kaimu came back, with Sora holding his hands behind him. "Kairi, you once gave me a good-luck charm. And now I'm giving you one." _

_He reached out a hand, opening it to reveal half of his crown necklace. _

_"__Sora! You…" She looked. He'd taken off the necklace. "You didn't!?" _

_"__I have the other half." He held it up, still dangling from the chain. He placed it around his neck. "You're my other half… so this will make sure we always come back to each other." _

_Kairi took the broken half. "You didn't have to do this…" _

_"__I wanted to, Kai." _

_"__And you'll need something to carry it on." Clover walked over to Kairi. "You should add it to the necklace I gave you." _

_Kairi paused. "You gave me this…?"_

_"__It was my mother's. It's a rare metal called mithril."_

_The mithril she needed… _

_"__I'll put it on when I wake up."_

_Sora smiled. "I'll be waiting for you for when you come. I look forward to seeing you again outside of a dream."_

_"__I do too." Kairi turned to her parents. "I wonder if there's a way to bring you back too." _

_Kaimu shook his head. "Kairi… we've been gone a long time and made peace with it. We're content knowing that you are safe, loved, and happy. Our time is past. Focus on what's ahead, not what's behind." _

_"__But…" The girl teared up. "I want you to come back."_

_"__Darling," Clover put a hand on her daughter's cheek, "we're not coming back. And it's alright. We're at peace. That's how this place works. The Final World is for those who still cling to something living: a parent, a sibling, a friend, a child, a lover. We clung to you; our last memories were of Xehanort dragging you away. Now, we're free. We know you're well. Our time in this side of death is over. When you leave, I doubt we would manifest in the Final World." _

_Chirithy sighed. "She's right. People who cling to something in life remain as stars here. Sora and Maris still had forms though, but your parents, no. They will fade from this place. Still accessible through dreams if one is close to the door, but not by other means."_

_Kaimu smiled. "We got to see you. We heard of your life, and we know you are well cared for, not just by those who have raised you but by this young man here." _

_"__And now you have this memory of us." Clover kissed Kairi's forehead. "This wonderful memory." _

_Kairi clenched her fists. "But I…" _

_"__Kairi. You have to let us go. You want your heart to be ready… you must accept the truth and let us go." Kaimu hugged his daughter. "Know that we love you. Always have, and always will. Now, go be a hero and save Sora." _

_Kairi threw her arms around her parents, trying her hardest not to cry. "I-I will… I promise. And I love you too. I'll make you proud." _

_Her parents pulled back, holding hands. "You already have, Kairi." _

_"__We couldn't be more proud of you." _

_"__Goodbye." _

_The room around them faded, revealing the sky and sea of the Final World. Her parents stood there for a moment before their forms faded into stars._

_The stars glowed for a moment before they shot off into the endless sky, vanishing in a blink of light. _

_"__Goodbye…" Kairi whispered._

_"__Kairi?" Sora placed his hand on her back. _

_The girl drew in a deep breath. "I think… I think I'm ready. Even if I'm not, I have to try. Please, keep believing in me, Sora."_

_"__I always will." _

_"__Then… I guess the next time I'll see you is when I save you." _

_"__Yes. And I can't wait." _

_"__See you soon…" _

_"__See you soon, Kairi." _

* * *

Kairi's eyes opened slowly. Back in the medical ward.

"Good morning!" Magia cheered. "So, how'd it go? Yozora said you vanished after he found her, Maris."

The girl sat up. "Yeah… I talked with my parents and Sora." She glanced around. "Where are Yozora and Aegis?"

"They headed to the tower. Yozora wanted to tell his father, Hoshiko, Dylan, and Fitz the news right away. It would also fix their memories. The moment he called her by her name, I could suddenly remember everything. So, he's going to tell them." He laughed. "Betcha twenty gil the whole engagement thing we were so worried about before will get called off totally."

"Yeah."

Kairi paused at the strange feeling in her right hand. She unfurled it.

"The necklace…!"

The half of Sora's necklace lay in her hand.

"What's that?"

"Sora's necklace, or half of it. He gave it to me."

She looked at it.

And she knew exactly what to do.

"We need to talk to Phinehas. I have the mithril. So we can forge the Keyblade."

"Great! But you do need a keychain for it too, right?"

She had that covered.

Her hand closed around her half of the necklace.

This.

This would be the keychain for her Keyblade.

* * *

**This chapter made me cry so much! **

**Hope you enjoyed!**

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) This is a reference to Sora's line "Starts with an S." in KH2.

(2) At the end of KH1, Kairi shows up at the end of the world.


	33. Chapter 33

**This was going to be two parts, but when I started writing it, I found I liked it being one part, so just one part then.**

**I'm so excited!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 33: Forged**

* * *

"EEEEEE! That was so ADORABLE!" Stella squealed.

Lucky clasped her hands. "He sounds so romantic! Seriously, if you don't marry Sora I will."

Kairi laughed. "He is a sweet boy. The sweetest person I've ever known."

"You got lucky to have a guy like him."

Lucky sighed. "You got to see your man, and you almost have everything."

"No, I do have everything." Kairi touched her necklace. "My mother gave me this when I was a child. It's made of mithril."

"Are you sure you want to use something so important?"

"I think it's the best thing. It's already been enchanted once, so maybe that will make my Keyblade more powerful." She reached into her pocket. "And I have the keychain." She showed them her half of the necklace. "This is Sora's necklace. He's had it since he was a kid. He broke it in half and gave me half."

"He is just so cute! Gosh, you two are couple goals!"

Stella laughed. "I can't wait for you to save him. I need to meet this guy. I mean, I'm taken, but man, Sora sounds amazing."

Kairi laughed, clutching the necklace in her hands.

Closer and closer. Each day she came closer to getting her Keyblade back.

Only one thing left. Just one.

"_Kairi_!"

"Ah!" She jumped, tapping her comlink. "Phinehas! You scared me!"

"_Sorry! But I found it I found the pocket of magic!_"

Kairi stiffened. "Really!? You found it!?"

"_Yeah," the minister cheered, "I found it. There is a slight snag, but nothing we can't deal with. I'll be making calls all day, but be ready to move tomorrow. At dawn we ride!_"

The comlink shut off.

"Phinehas is such a ham…"

"Yeah, but sounds like he got the final part for us. What's the plan?"

"Not sure. He just said be ready tomorrow.

"Then tomorrow it is."

Tomorrow.

One more day…"

* * *

Kairi stepped out of base, yawning as the sun just began to peak over the buildings.

"Good, you're here."

"Huh?" She turned, Hercshal, Yozora, Magia, and Aegis waiting on her. "All of you are coming too?"

Magia grinned. "Like we'd miss this!?"

"Let's go." Yozora smiled. He wore such a soft expression on his face, so different from how she'd seen him most times.

They climbed into the van and drove off.

"Phinehas wanted us to catch you up on what is happening." Aegis tapped his notebook. "The pocket of magic he located is the door, or the cavern around the door itself. The issue is, it's illegal to go there without special permission from the king. So, we are going to have to do this without his knowledge at all."

Breaking the law was a great start.

"So, what's the plan?"

Yozora handed Kairi a small pouch. "Stella has her new equiptment set up, so she's set up an impromptu press conference for my father this morning. Hoshiko and Dylan are going with him to make sure he stays away from the tower until we're done."

So Hoshiko and Dylan were in on it too.

"Lucky managed to get us a copy of my father's keycard. Don't know how, and I probably don't want to know how, but she did. That will get us to the doors without tripping alarms. We'll make sure no one goes to check the doors, while Phinehas goes with you. He won't go directly to the door with you, but he says he has some last minute instructions for you."

"Alright…"

This was it.

Hopefully, her heart was ready. She clutched Sora's necklace in her hands, focusing on him. On what he said to her.

She could do this.

They were all believing in her.

She had to do this.

When they pulled up in front of the tower, the king came out the front doors with Hoshiko and Dylan. "I could've sworn I didn't have a conference today."

"You just don't remember. You do have a lot on your schedule. It probably just slipped your mind." Hoshiko smiled as they passed. "Hello! Going to the library today?"

"That's right!" Magia grinned.

Yozora looked at his father and smiled. "Don't worry, the conference will be over before you know it."

Hayate stopped, taking a moment to hug his son. "I know…" He must have felt so starved of his son's love and affection since Frode entered his heart. Kairi felt her heart warm at the sight of them, happy again.

"Kairi, come on."

The girl jogged inside. Magia ushered her into the elevator and pressed down.

She'd never been under the first floor before. This was going to be interesting.

Lights illumiated the way down for the glass elevator until the room opened up to a metal room, more like a box.

"Welcome to what we've called the 'last stand' room. This place protects the door from outside threats. Five foot thick titanium on all sides."

Wow.

In the middle of the room, Phinehas stood, a small duffle bag over his shoulder. His face split into a wide grin. "Ready, Kairi?" He asked as they stepped out of the elevator.

"I think so."

"We'll stay here." Aegis pushed his glasses up. "If anyone tries to enter we'll get them to leave."

"Thanks."

"This way." Phinehas walked across the room. He pressed a button and a panel, a five-foot thick panel moved to reveal a door with a card swipe. "Got the card?" The girl pulled it out. "Good. Once you open the door, there should be a staircase leading downward and a tunnel at the bottom of the stairs. The tunnel leads to the door. I'll wait up here, on the outside of the door to let you out." He took the keycard from her, handing her the duffle bag in return, and swiped it. The metal door hissed open. Open to pitch blackness. "Good luck."

The princess took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Magic washed over her, making her gasp. This was it.

The door slowly shut behind her, encasing her in darkness.

Alone.

* * *

"_Good luck._" In Twilight Town, everyone watched as Kairi and the others headed for the door.

"I'm glad she's found the place." Aqua smiled before turning off the computer.

"Hey!"

"Why'd you do that?"

Aqua turned around. "This is a private moment. Forging ones own Keyblade is a very private thing, and we should not impose on that. Her heart will be on full display. Right now, all we should do is believe. Believe in her with all our hearts."

"With all our hearts."

* * *

In the outer pocket of the duffle bag, Kairi found a small flashlight. She turned it on, seeing the dark staircase, chiseled out of the rocky walls, spiraling downwards.

One step.

Two steps.

Three.

Down.

Down.

Down she went.

The black rocks made it seem like an endless abyss, but she soon made it to the bottom. A tunnel opened to her right like a gaping mouth.

She wanted to feel scared.

Actually, she was terrified. But that couldn't stop her.

Down.

Down.

Down the tunnel.

It turned, curved, this way and that way.

Around a bend, she saw a dim light. The door?

She jogged forward, turning another corner.

Light washed over her as she entered a large cavern. A set of doors, black as ebony stood before her. On top of the door, from which the light came, stained glass popped in contrast to the door.

It looked like the door to Kingdom Hearts that Kairi saw so long ago, the first time she and Sora were torn apart, but this time made of black stone.

This was it.

She knelt down, opening the duffle bag. The gems, the orichalcum, the orichalcum+. She pulled them all out and laid them down in front of her. Slowly, she reached up, unclasping her necklace.

"Thank you, Mom."

Kairi slipped off the pendant on the end, laying it with the other materials. She put the string back in her pocket. Before kneeling over the ingredients.

"Ok…"

Holding out her hands, she focused, allowing magic to flow through her. The materials began to glow. They floated into the air, joining together in a single orb of light.

First step, done.

* * *

Chirithy sighed. He'd followed Kairi but decided to wait at the top of the stairs by the door. This was a private moment.

"Waiting for your friend?"

"Huh?" The dream eater turned. "I tho-" He gasped. "Wait!? It can't be! It's… you!"

* * *

Kairi focused on the orb, putting all of her magic into it.

Was something supposed to happen?

The air around her began to fizzle.

Her eyes widened as figures began appearing around her. Memories.

_"__Kairi, would you like a bird?" _

_"__Yes Mommy! I want the pretty yellow one." _

_"__Alright, but just as long as you promise to take care of it." _

_"__I will!"_

The memory passed, turning into a pink mist that flowed into the orb. This was it.

Her heart on full display.

_"__Daddy, can I help?" _

_"__Sure sweetie! Here, take this paintbrush. Paint up and down, like this." _

_"__Up and down. Up and down." _

_"__Good job, Kairi!"_

…

…

_"__Hello there, Kairi. My name is Risa, and this is my husband Tai. Now, I know you're scared but we're going to take good care of you." _

_"__Yeah, there's no need to be afraid."_

…

…

_"__Hi Kairi, my name is Riku. It's nice to meet you." _

_"__Hey! My name's Sora!" _

_"__I-it's nice to meet you both…"_

…

…

_"__Sora let's take the raft and go, just the two of us!" _

_"__Huh?" _

_"__Heh. Just kidding." _

…

…

_ "__You don't remember my name? Thanks a lot Kairi."_

_"__Huh!?" _

_"__Well, I guess I can give you hint. Starts with an S."_

…

…

_ "__W-we're back!?"_

_"__You're home!"_

…

…

_ "__Ok, but stop apologizing." _

_"__Fine. On one condition."_

_"__Hm?"_

_"__Call me Axel from now on."_

_"__Ok. Axel." _

…

…

_"__Here!" _

_"__Huh?" _

_"__Tomorrow's fight will be our toughest yet. I want to remain a part of your life, that's all." _

_"__Kairi, I'll keep you safe." _

_"__No. Let me keep you safe."_

…

…

_"__Kairi! I found you!" _

_"__See, I had no doubts you'd pull through." _

_"__The light in the darkness, it was you. You were the one who kept me from fading away." _

_"__All I did was believe that you wouldn't." _

_"__I feel strong with you Kairi!" _

…

…

_"__So, where are we going?" _

_"__KTV."_

_"__What's KTV?"_

_"__Karaoke! Private karaoke room! Pizza! Coffee! And singing until our lungs are sore and we're so deprived of sleep we might as well be wasted."_

…

…

_"__Kairi, do you believe destiny is set in stone? Are we slaves to its will, or can we change it?"_

_"__I think, we can change it. Sora did. I died, all of our friends died too, and yet he did the impossible. He reset time and brought our friends back too. And isn't that what I'm trying to do now, bring Sora back from death… I don't think destiny is ever left to chance, but that destiny is what we make it. In the end, it's up to us."_

_"__If that's the case, I want to change my destiny. No. I will change my destiny. Mine and hers."_

…

…

_"__I didn't do anything. All I did was believe that you wouldn't fade, that's i-"_

_"All you did was save my life and the lives of all our friends. Stop short-changing yourself. Please." _

_"I don't know what you see in me… I really don't. I wish I did." _

_"What I see? What I see is a girl who, despite showing up on the beach with no memories of her past, lived each day to the fullest. What I see is the girl who followed me to the end of the world, past all those Heartless, without a I see is the girl who jumped from a balcony and dove into a battle against Heartless with no hesitation. What I see is the girl who saved me from dying when the Heartless attacked. What I see is the girl who is doing everything she can to rescue me, despite what she may have to go through. That's what I see. I see you." _

_…_

_Kairi gasped as the orb pulsed a deep pink. Something about the feeling of magic changed._

_Maybe, she was almost done._

_The air fizzled again. _

_Or maybe not…_

_This time Xehanort appeared, dragging little Kairi with him._

_"__I hope you perform well child… Farewell, Princess."_

_Kairi flinched, gasping as the memory turned into a dark purple mist and flowed into the orb. _

_So now the bad memories._

_She clenched her jaw as another memory began to appear._

_"__Alright class, we're going to write a letter for father's day to your dad." _

_"__What are you going to write Kairi? Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot you don't have parents!"_

_…_

_…_

_"__Sora! Sora!" _

_"…__Sora!?"_

_"__Sora! Come back Sora!" _

_…_

_…_

_"__You'd kinda be in my way…" _

_…_

_…_

_"__What is Kairi doing?" _

_"__She's writing to that imaginary friend of hers." _

_"__Isn't she a little old for that?"_

_"__She says we all just forgot him. Apparently his name is Sora or something like that." _

_"__Well you know what I think, I think she's finally lost it."_

_…_

_…_

_"__What're you going to do with us?" _

_"__You're the fire that feeds Sora's anger." _

_"__No… Sora's in danger, because of me…" _

_…_

_…_

_"__In the end his fate is your doing. You saved him and he saved the others… but now. He stands upon the brink. Should he dive too deep with the power of waking again, he will not come back. But, he wouldn't be at that brink if it weren't for your meddling. And I'm sure, he'll do anything to save you. Even make that ultimate sacrific-"_

_"__No! I won't let that happen! And if it does, I'll save him!" _

_"__A weakling like you could never defeat us. You are still as weak as the day I held you captive in that laboratory so long ago. You could do nothing then, and you can do nothing now."_

_"__Useless girl. You are just as useless as before. You could do nothing but sit in the dungeon and hope. And here you are trying… pretending to be some sort of warrior." _

_"__Shut up!" _

_"__Someone like you could never save anyone. So, remember, Kairi- you killed him." _

_…_

_… _

_"__Honestly. You really think you'll open the doors to death and save that Sora guy. Someone like you could never do something so heroic. You're out of your league."_

_"__SHUT UP!" _

_"__AEGIS NO!" _

_…_

_…_

_"__Shh, it's gonna be alright, Kairi. It'll be alright." _

_"__No! It won't! I-I'm so worthless! I can't do anything right! I'll never do anything right! I'm a curse! A WORTHLESS CURSE! I can't save Sora! I can't do anything!" _

_"__Don't you say that!" _

_"__You are NOT worthless." _

_"__But I am… I'm weak. I just fail…"_

_"__That's not true!" _

_"__But it is! My friends back home… no one would say it, but I know it. I'm the weakest. They all know I'm the weak link. All I do is get captured. All I do is put others in danger." _

Kairi gasped, tears streaming down her face. Her heart ached, throbbed with the pain. All the pain.

Had she really grown?

Or was she really just worthless?

_"__I see you."_

Sora's voice echoed in her mind.

He saw her as more than that. Why couldn't she look at herself through the same eyes?

Maybe… that was it. Sora, no, not just him. All her friends. They saw her differently.

They didn't see her as a burden.

They didn't see her as weak.

They didn't see her as worthless.

Maybe…

Maybe it was time to begin to see things like them.

Maybe it was time to see herself as they did.

Her tears dripped off her chin, but didn't fall. They floated up, into the ball of light.

As the first tear touched the orb, it flashed. Pulsing with a soft purple color.

Her pain. It needed her pain…

But it also needed the promise of happier memories to come.

Almost finished.

One more thing needed.

Kairi pulled out her half of Sora's necklace. The promise of happier times.

The promise to never leave each other again.

Giving the necklace one last squeeze, Kairi lifted it up to the orb.

The light swallowed it up pulling it and her hand inside the orb, but Kairi didn't panic.

She felt warmth in her hand. A soft, comforting feeling.

Like when she was in the arms of her parents.

A warm light spread across her arm, like when she held hands with Sora.

A cold feeling made her fingers tingle, like when she was afraid. She felt her arm shudder, like when she cried.

This was her heart.

This was her Keyblade.

This…

This was her.

The light around her hand exploded, streams of glistening colors shooting through the cavern, lighting up everything, reflecting off the door.

The lights swirled around before the rushed back toward Kairi's hand. As they touched her, color blossomed from her hands.

A black handle.

A golden guard, like Sora's Keyblade, but partially wrapped in red ribbon.

Two paopu fruits, each with a bite taken out topped the guard, covering the purple band of color.

The red ribbon wound up the simple silver shaft.

From the shaft bloomed a silver crown.

Like the crown of a chess piece.

The queen piece.

Her half of Sora's necklace dangled from the end, shining in the light of the new Keyblade.

Kairi stood up, marveling in it as its name entered her mind.

"Kingdom Key-Q. Q for Queen?"

She laughed, her heart soared.

Finally!

Finally!

No more room for doubts!

No more room for fears!

She would save him!

She would save Sora!

_…_

_…_

CLAP.

CLAP.

CLAP.

CLAP.

CLAP.

CLAP.

Kairi turned toward the entrance, toward the figure who stood there, applauding.

"Wonderful job! Absolutely wonderful!" He stopped clapping, eyes glinting in the light of the door. "I haven't seen someone forge a Keyblade that strong in a long time…"

* * *

**I… have been waiting for this for some time! Hope you're ready?**

**No footnotes because there would be too many, but you should've recognized some of them. **

**Hope you enjoyed!**


	34. Chapter 34

**OOOOOh! I'm so excited!**

**I've been waiting for this!**

**Enjoy!**

**(and Mattman, answers to your questions are at the end of the chapter)**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 34: Lost Masters**

* * *

"Phinehas? I thought… Wait, Chirithy, what are you doing here? And what did you mean by that? You've seen a Keyblade forged before?"

The minister grinned. "Seen them. I've forged them myself actually. Six in particular were my finest works." He strode over to the duffle bag beside Kairi and pulled out what she thought to be the bottom layer of cloth.

The cloth unfolded as he slung it around, slipping his arms into sleeves.

"Now, it has been a long time since I wore this." He zipped up the zipper. "And might as well drop the face." He pulled the black hood over his head; just before his face vanished from sight, Kairi saw magic fading from it. His mouth and chin changed to an entirely different shape(1)."

"Wh-who are you!?" She demanded, brandishing her new Keyblade.

The man, now dressed in a long, familiar, black coat laughed. His voice sounded different too. "Who am I!? Well, most people would call me," he spun around, posing dramatically, "the Master of Masters!" He paused. "You haven't heard of me?"

"No…"

"Darn…" He pouted. "Well, basically I'm a suuuuper ancient Keyblade master from before the Keyblade War. Actually, my students and those under them actually were in that war."

Kairi looked down at Chirithy. "Did… did you know this?"

"No. When he was disguised as Phinehas I didn't know. I've only come into contact with him here in the tower, and the tower dampened my senses. It wasn't until he entered the cave that I realized who he was."

The master puffed out his chest. "That's right. I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Chirithy here would've known me right away. I made the little guy after all."

"You made him?"

"That I did." He clapped his hands. "Sorry about the deceit, but had to keep up the whole Phinehas thing. I jumped worldlines, but I was unable to get back, so I've been stuck here. And let me tell you, setting up a fake life that detailed is not easy. But hey, it paid off! Though, I had a feeling someone would come here eventually, and I could go back with them… call it, intuition."

He bounced toward Kairi, the girl taking a slight step back. The coat made her very uneasy.

"And you came! I've been watching you this whole time. Watching you grow as a wielder, and giving you a little nudge or two." The master sighed. "You remind me of another girl I trained. Little optimist she was. A bright yellow dandelion."

Kairi stood ready to fight. She didn't trust him, not yet. "If you were watching me, why not help me more?"

The master put his hands on his hips. "What good would that have done? Thing is, I could've told you how to do this whole thing from the beginning. I could've even made the Keyblade for you. But then you wouldn't have grown so much and come so far. Sometimes, a good master knows it's best to step back and let the student learn on their own. Sure, I gave you advice and hints when I knew you wouldn't be able to find it on your own, but I let you do the leg work." He laughed. "And now that you know, I can help you so much more! You've come this far, but there is still some ways to go before you can open that door and save your man."

"What's stopping me from opening the door right now? It's right here?" She pointed at the doors in question.

All she had to do was turn around.

Sora could be with her now.

"This." The master walked around, putting himself between her and the door. "This world is in danger. If you rescue him now and leave, this world will die."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Kairi," Chirithy hopped over, "you can trust him. And even if you don't, trust me and what I say."

The girl looked down at her friend. Chirithy was right…

She didn't trust him, but Chirithy seemed to. She'd follow the dream eater's lead then.

For now.

"So, what is this danger." She loosened up, lowering her Keyblade, but not dismissing it.

"The LLE of course. The leader is hellbent on destroying this door. Not only is this the way you need to get to your boy, but it's the side of darkness here. Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin and-"

"One cannot exist without the other."

"Exactly. He destroys this door, and the world goes poof. He'll destroy it outright. He knows it too, and is planning on it. Oh, and he's the guy who hacked Stella as well."

"Why blow up the door?"

"Not sure, but he wants it gone, and he will do anything to make it happen." The master sat on the rocky ground. "Thing is, I haven't been able to find his identity, but I do know one thing for sure. He's close to the military and royal family."

Kairi gasped. "How?"

"By the way he hacked Stella." He stretched his arms. "Stella is just as good as him, but she just doesn't know it yet. He got into that office and would've had to get into her system directly to hack in. So, he's someone who can be in the base and has access to her computer."

"You keep saying 'he'. Are you sure the LLE leader is a guy?"

The master nodded. "Unless he's using a voice changer, I've heard his voice once. Definitely a man's voice. So, we need to take him down. Agreed?"

Well, the LLE did need to go down. And Kairi wasn't about to let anyone destroy this world on her watch. So-

"Agreed."

"Great!" The master jumped up. "I've got a list of suspects I'll check out. But, I'll need you to be my eyes in the military. Don't trust anyone now. Trust no one but yourself, and Chirithy here."

Trust no one?

She trusted Yozora, Aegis, and so many others.

"I don't know if I can do that."

"You have to try a little. Otherwise we may not catch this guy." He snapped his fingers. A wave of magic washed over him before he removed the hood, revealing the face of Phinehas. His fake face. "You and me, we're a team now."

"I guess so."

"And, seriously good job on forging that Keyblade. It's stellar! What's it called?"

"Kingdom Key-Q."

"Q for queen I assume."

"Yeah…"

He slipped off the coat, putting it back in the bag. "Meet you outside!" He vanished in a warp spell.

Kairi immediately turned to Chirithy. "Was he serious!?"

"I don't know about the LLE stuff, but he is the Master of Masters all right. He made me. I would know him almost anywhere. I think you can trust him, for now at least."

"Wait," the girl paused, "you don't trust him?"

"Not fully. I've seen what became of his orders before. I'm not sure what his motives are, but I think in this particular case we can trust him."

"Is he good?"

"I don't know."

"That's not comforting…"

"He's a strange one. No one can really read him, and he doesn't speak in a straightforward manner most of the time. If you want to understand what he's doing and why, you will have to watch him. Trust what he does, not what he says(2)."

"Guess so."

Kairi turned back toward the door.

Sorry Sora. You'll just have to wait a little longer.

And it wouldn't be right to go find him and Maris without Yozora anyway.

The girl jogged back through the cave and up the stairs to the door. She knocked.

"Is it done!?" Phinehas opened the door, the puppy-like glimmer in his eyes.

Almost like it was real, like the Master of Masters wasn't even there.

But he was.

"Y-yeah…"

She walked out, followed by the man, who closed the door behind him. "Boys we've done it! Now let's scram before the king gets back."

"About time!" Magia yelled.

"How long was I in there?"

Aegis tapped his notebook. "Three hours."

Three hours!?

Didn't feel that long at all.

"Phinehas is right." Yozora cleared his throat. "We need to go now."

"Alright." Kairi got into the elevator.

"Phinehas, you coming?"

"I'll take the next one up!"

He waved, but his eyes stared directly at Kairi. Reminding her with a stern gaze.

Trust no one.

Trust no one.

* * *

Gula sighed as the wind blew through his hair. It felt nice to walk around without that mask on all the time.

Now, where was it?

His green eyes roamed the woods outside of Twilight Town. According to that one blonde boy with the beanie they should be living out here.

"There." Through the trees, he saw the tall mansion. "Pretty fancy place…" He walked up, hands in the pockets of his brown cargo shorts.

Had to look like he was just visiting.

Outside the mansion he saw a few people; looked like they were sparring.

A tall man with brown hair who carried himself like a master stood talking to a boy with frizzy blonde hair. Probably giving the boy a few tips on form. Kinda reminded Gula how Aced used to do the same for him.

"Hey. Who's that?"

A boy with spiky blonde hair pointed at Gula.

Wait…

Was that?

"What is it, Ven?" A woman with blue hair came over, looking at Gula.

Ven.

Guess it was Ventus(3) after all. But how did he get here?

"Who are you?" The brown-haired man walked toward him.

"No one special. I just heard there was an abandoned mansion out here, and I wanted to check it out. Though, it doesn't look abandoned to me."

"Our friends live here." The blue-haired woman said as she approached. "Though most people in town know that already. Why don't you?"

"Wait," the man narrowed his eyes, "you were the boy who tipped us off during the fire that Riku was heading back toward the mansion. Then you disappeared."

"Was that me? I don't remember such a thing."

Dangit.

"Terra, you've seen him before?"

The man, apparently named Terra, nodded. "Yeah. I recognize him now. He even mentioned the mansion when I met him then." He turned back to Gula. "Who are you?"

This Terra guy was very much trying to look imposing. But Aced was way scarier than him.

"Let's just say, I'm a person interested in you and your friends and leave it at that. Don't worry, I don't mean any of you any harm. I just want some answers."

"About what?"

Gula turned around and began walking away. "That, well, you'll have to figure out on your own." He strode into the trees, tossing a folded piece of paper over his shoulder like trash.

"Hang on!" Terra chased after him, but as he entered the trees, he couldn't see the boy any longer. "He's gone…?"

Ven walked over and picked up the paper the boy dropped. "What's this?"

Hayner walked over from the mansion. "Think he's friendly?"

"Not sure. Ven, may I?"

The boy handed the note to Aqua. She unfolded it and read aloud.

"To whom it may concern, I am in the quest for knowledge, knowledge I have no other means of finding. I was told once to trust no one but myself, but it appears that I may have to trust you. I have some clues about a matter that most likely involves one if not all of you, and this knowledge will be of use to you as well. So, please tell me what "sigil" means something to you? Place the response to this note inside the hole in the tree nearest the sewer entrance. I await your response. -A Lost Master"

"A lost master?"

"He couldn't be referring to the lost masters, there's no way?" Aqua mumbled. "But this means he does know something about the history of Keyblade wielders. But what does he know?"

"And the sigil he asked about… what does he mean by that?"

"Sigil? The reclusants sigil?"

"Maybe." Aqua folded up the letter. "We need to tell the others."

"Yeah."

From atop the branch of a tree, Gula watched them walk inside.

Now, all he had to do was wait.

Wait and hope they had the answers he was looking for.

* * *

**So many mysteries!**

**And the MoM!**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**For Mattman:**

**1)****No, I do not intend to write a sequel. This is set in the canon universe, so I'm letting things play out in the games from there. But I do plan on going back to my Xehanort fanfic when this story is done.**

**2)****I'm leaving Kairi's grandmother out of it due to the theory that Vor in Dark Road is her. I don't want to make an assumption yet as to whether she is or isn't, so I'm just not dealing with it.**

**3)****As for the wild card. We shall see, won't we. **

**4)****And sure! I'd love to have this fic on TV Tropes! **

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) This is the spell Ava used in UX to make herself look like another foreteller.

(2) This is basically what the MoM told Xehanort in ReMind.

(3) I'm going off the assumption that Ven was in Gula's union.


	35. Chapter 35

**MoM DEMO COMES OUT TOMORROWWWWW!**

**I will try to get another chapter up, if I can pull myself away from the demo…**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners! **

* * *

**Chapter 35: Nothing but the Truth**

* * *

"Lemme see! Lemme see!"

"Calm down, Stella." Vallis laughed as he held his girlfriend back from tackling Kairi.

Kairi walked into the base's training room where all her friends awaited. "Have you been waiting all this time?"

Cat shook her head. "Only when Stella told us you were coming back."

"Now show us!" Lucky cheered.

Kairi laughed before holding out her hand.

* * *

In Twilight Town, Xion motioned for everyone to hurry as Kairi stood before her friends in the other worldline.

Riku smiled as Kingdom Key-Q appeared in her hand, shining in the light.

"_Wow_!"

"_It looks so regal_!"

"What's it called?"

"_Kingdom Key-Q_" Kairi said, running her hand along the paopu fruit on the blade.

"_Q_?"

The girl grinned. "_For queen._"

"_Oh my gosh YES!_" Lucky bounced from one foot to the other. "_You are a queen!_"

"_Stop it!_"

"_I mean it!_"

Jiminy pushed up his hat with a smile. "Well, whatdaya know, her Keyblade turned out like Sora's."

"I mean, she is practically his queen." Lea smirked.

"True."

Riku smiled. "They are part of each other's lives forever now. This Keyblade is just another proof of that."

"_So, when are you rescuing Sora?_"

Kairi dismissed her weapon. "_I want to help you deal with the LLE first. Sora would want that… he'd rather me help my friends first and then help him, I know it._"

Donald nodded. "Sounds like him."

"_Sounds good._" Yozora smiled. "_Stella, any word on who hacked your systems?_"

The blonde girl sighed. "_No… but I double and triple checked everything. My system was flawless. The only way I think they could've gotten in is by accessing my computer in person._"

* * *

Vallis crossed his arms. "So that means whoever it was had to get into base and into her room. The most likely scenario is someone within the military itself."

Kairi bit her lip. Just like that Master of Masters guy said. She glanced around at all her friends. The master's words about trusting no one ringing in her ears.

Trust no one.

That included him.

"Have you checked the security camera feed?"

"Of course," Stella said, "but the thing is, this person has looped camera feed well before. So, I don't trust the camera feed."

"Smart."

Aiko tapped her chin. "Well, if this person is in with the LLE and possibly the leader then most likely they have a reason to want the door gone. So, our culprit is probably someone who lost something very special to the giga attack."

"Ai, that is a very long list." Cid spoke up.

"I know, but we can narrow it down to people who are in the military or has access to this building. That includes janitorial staff, and even government officials that have access." Aiko looked across the group. "We should start with those who have criminal pasts, even though that list is small, but it's a place to start. Understood?"

"Yes, general!"

Kairi smiled. The master may have said not to trust, but everyone in this room she trusted, Magia maybe less than others currently, but she trusted them.

Stella and Lucky bounded over, giggling. "So, tell us about this Keyblade! Let us see it again!"

Kairi laughed and summoned it again. "Well, the blade looks like Sora's Keyblade. His is called Kingdom Key, but the crown on his is different."

"Yours looks like a queen chess piece." Magia observed.

"Fitting for the name."

Stella pointed to the two fruit on the guard. "What are those?"

"Those are paopu fruit." Kairi smiled softly. "They're magical fruit from my home. If two people share them, they will remain a part of each other's lives no matter what. Sora and I shared the fruit before he died."

The blonde girl seemed to melt. "Oh! It's so romantic!"

Aegis pointed to the red ribbon wrapping around the handle and blade. "Going off the romantic motif that it has, this probably stands for the red string of fate."

"Red string of fate?"

"It's a mythical string that connects two fated lovers together. It just proves you and Sora are a dream couple!"

Kairi giggled, dismissing her Keyblade.

Yozora smiled, pausing for a moment. He pulled out his phone, narrowing his eyes as he read a message.

"Everything ok?"

"Well, Magia, Aegis, Kairi, if you had plans tonight cancel them."

"Why?"

"My father." The prince sighed. "He wants us to come for dinner, and he sent the message in that formal way."

Magia grimaced. "You mean the 'sounds nice but means to get your butts over here right now' formal?"

"Yep."

"Crap."

Oh no. Clenching her fists she groaned. "Do you think it has something to do with today?"

"Yep."

"But how did he know?"

"Cameras probably."

Dang.

This was going to be messy…

* * *

Awkward didn't even begin to describe the atmosphere at the dinner table. Not one word had been spoken since they'd arrived. The king didn't even say hi.

He knew.

He knew what they did.

"Father." Yozora broke the silence.

"You know why I asked you here. Why did you, with the help of my close friends commit an illegal act and access the door!?"

Across the table, Phinehas cringed visibly. Dylan and Hoshiko glanced at one another nervously.

No one spoke.

"It was because of me."

"Kairi, hold on."

"No." The girl snapped. "It was because of me, and I'll own up to it. If anyone is taking the fall for it, it has to be me."

Hayate relaxed a little into his chair. "Thank you for taking responsibility. Now explain please."

Kairi clenched her fists in her lap. "Well, I never went down there for the door. Never touched the door once actually. I just needed the magic around the door."

"For?"

"To forge a new Keyblade since… since mine broke."

Hayate raised an eyebrow. He was the only one to not know about this. "Your Keyblade broke? Why didn't you say anything? I would've let you use the magic around the door if that was the case?"

"I thought you might be angry. So, we did our best not to let you find out."

"How many of you were in on this?"

"Well," she counted on her fingers, "the four of us, Phinehas, Hoshiko, Dylan, Aiko, Cid, Lucky, Stella, Val-"

Waving his hand, the king sighed. "Never mind. Basically everyone but me." He folded his hands in front of him. "Now, I understand your reasoning, and I'll let you all have a pass on this one, even though technically all of you broke the law by doing this, but now something else is bothering me. If you kept this from me, what else are you keeping?"

Kairi could feel Phinehas, or rather the master, staring right at her. His words echoed in her mind.

Don't trust anyone.

Screw that.

But, if she was to be honest… it was time to be totally honest.

"Alright. I'll tell you all the full truth. There are some things I haven't told anyone because I wasn't supposed to." She turned her head, her eyes meeting Phinehas'. "But, I trust all of you."

His face didn't move, but something in his eyes changed. He knew she didn't trust him.

So, she began to tell them.

"The reason I came here to Tokyo was not for any other reason but a selfish one, but since I arrived that has changed. I came here for Sora. And the Sora I mean doesn't just share the same name as the person Yozora spoke of; they are the same. I came here to rescue him from beyond the door. But now, I not only plan on doing that, but I plan on saving Maris as well. And I will close that door and seal it."

Glancing around, she gauged everyone's reactions. Hayate's eyes did narrow some, but he didn't say anything.

"I could've saved him today, but there is still the threat of the LLE. When I save Sora, I will be going home too. The LLE are still a danger to this world and I want to help fight them before I do anything selfish, and I know Sora would want me to do the same."

"And how did your Keyblade break." Kairi flinched at the king's harsh tone.

He wasn't happy with her.

"Well-"

Yozora raised his hand. "That was on me. When Frode used me to attack the base, he… I broke it in combat."

"It had been cracked for some time." Kairi admitted, "It first cracked when Aegis broke my legs. Since then, it's only cracked further, and it finally broke."

"I didn't think Keyblades could break so easily."

The girl sighed. "It was reflecting the state of my heart. I was broken, hurting, fragile. And so was my Keyblade."

Hayate's face softened at this. "You were afraid?"

"Afraid doesn't begin to cover all the emotions I've had."

The king nodded slowly. "Kairi. I am not happy that you kept this from me, but I guess I can understand. I wanted my son to leave the Sora matter alone, and I thought he had, but it appears that he just hid it beneath his want to find Maris. And speaking of her, I'm assuming your assistance is why we can now recall her."

"I guess so."

Yozora rolled his eyes. "We wouldn't have been able to do it without you. Give yourself some credit."

"Then yes. I helped."

"And for that," Hayate smiled, "I guess we owe you a great debt. And because of that, I will forgive the deceit as long as you continue down this path that you claim, not just for you but for all of us."

Kairi smiled back. "Of course!"

"Now, I hope there are no other secrets."

"Well…"

"Oh no."

Kairi averted her eyes. "Remember how you asked me to marry Yozora. There's a very good reason I said no, besides the fact that I'm taken. Thing is, Aegis put down my age as eighteen. But I'm seventeen."

"Wha-" The king coughed on his drink. "You are underage!?"

"Yes."

Pushing up his glasses, Aegis explained. "She couldn't join the military at seventeen, so I changed it without her knowledge."

Wiping his mouth, the king hung his head. "I asked a seventeen-year-old to marry my twenty-year-old son… I am so very sorry Kairi. I would've never done that if I'd known."

"It's alright. You didn't know."

Phinehas clapped his hands. "Wow… that was a lot of new info, but w-"

"But Phinehas." Kairi pointedly said. "You haven't heard the best part. And being such a Keyblade lover that you are, you must hear it."

Yes, she was rubbing her trust in his face.

Yes, she was enjoying it.

"What else!" Dylan laughed.

Well, time to drop the bomb.

Wasn't planning on this one, but she figured it was best to be totally transparent. And, it would really mess with Phinehas.

"I never explained where I'm actually from. I'm not just from some far away island. I'm from another worldline."

The room froze.

"Worldline?"

"You may call it an alternate reality."

The room exploded.

Dylan nearly leapt across the table. "ARE YOU SERIOUS!? YOU'RE FROM AN ALTERNATE WORLD!?"

"Well that explains a lot." Aegis huffed.

"Dude!" Magia gaped. "You should've told us this sooner!"

"I wasn't supposed to, but I figured that if I was going to be honest, you needed to know the whole truth. But, this does not leave this room. Alright?"

"Who would believe us anyways!?"

"Please tell us, what is your worldline like!? How is it different!?"

"So that's how come you never helped us before!"

Kairi laughed, glancing over at Phinehas. In all the confusion, he sat silent.

But he didn't seem angry.

He smiled.

Smiled and shook his head.

Time would tell if he was happy with her or not. And if not, what would that bring about…

* * *

"Do you think we should be doing this?" Xion held a piece of paper in her hands. "Terra said the guy was suspicious."

Aqua nodded. "He knows something about Keyblade wielders, so we need to find out more about him."

"Guess you're right." Xion slipped the note where the mysterious boy told them too.

Who knows when he'd be back…?

She and Aqua walked away. But, as soon as they vanished from sight, Gula warped in. He pulled the letter out, reading it slowly.

"Hmm… OW!"

Something clamped down on Gula's sock and shoe, nicking his leg. He looked down to see a dog.

"Hold him, Kosho!"

Out of the trees came a man with blue hair, followed by the one he heard called Riku, then Terra, and then a guy with flaming red hair.

Gula chuckled. "Should've seen this coming. Ow. Now call off your dog."

"No." Another voice. Gula glanced around.

Surrounded by everyone from the mansion.

"Who are you?" Terra barked.

"I'm… no one special."

"Bull."

"Fine." Gula shrugged. "I'm… a leopard then."

"Stop playing games. Who are you?"

The boy let out a long sigh. "Look. I get that you don't trust me, and I really understand. I was told to trust no one but myself, so I really do get it. But you don't have to trust me. Just answer my questions and I might be able to help you. I think I'm on your side. Not sure yet though."

"Sounds like me back in the day." Muttered the man with bright red hair.

"Why do you need this information?"

"You can ask all those questions in the next note." Gula smirked before warping away. Kosho yelped in surprise as his quarry vanished.

Donald stomped his food. "He got away!"

"Might be on our side…?" Riku mused. "Something about him seems off, but I don't know if he's evil or not."

"Evil, maybe. Mischievous, definitely." Isa huffed as he fed Kosho a treat. "Either way, we need to get more information, or he could be a problem."

True.

The question was… how?

* * *

**We are so close to the eeeeeend! I'm so excited you guys!**

**Hope you enjoyed!**


	36. Chapter 36

**So, how many have been playing the MoM demo!? It's so fun! I can't wait for the full game!**

**So this chapter is what that talk in Yen Sid's tower before the Keyblade Graveyard was to KH3. After this, there is no turning back. We are in end game next chapter! **

**Be ready!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 36: Dark Clouds**

* * *

The setting sun poured out its red rays upon Twilight Town.

"Hm, I can see why they like this stuff." Gula mused as he tried one of those ice creams he'd seen practically everyone eating.

He smiled as the breeze ruffled his hair.

Why couldn't he just keep the mask off forever? It felt so freeing to just sit with the wind on his face.

"Ava," he whispered, "you'd like this place. It's just like that dandelion hill you liked to go to." His eyes closed. "Wherever you are, I hope you're happy. And safe. We're all worried. Well, all but Luxu, but he doesn't count in my book."

Opening his eyes, Gula finished off the last of his ice cream before shoving the wooden stick in his pocket. He pulled out the note from the mansion's occupants.

Setting a trap for him was smart.

Honestly, he should've seen that coming. They weren't idiots.

His fingers unfolded the note.

"You just had to make this difficult."

The reply was a single sentence. "What sigil do you mean?"

They wanted him to come back.

And he had little choice in the matter.

Pulling out a piece of paper, Gula scribbled down another message. "Does the phrase 'the one who bears the sigil(1)' mean anything to you? And-" better make this message a little more cordial, so they answer nicely, "what are your names? I'm not ready to tell you mine yet, but just call me Leopard for now. Signed the Leopard."

He stood up. Better drop this off before heading back.

This world was so nice…

Maybe when this was all over he could stay here?

Gula warped back to the forest, placing the note by the mansion gate. He pinned it with a rock before vanishing.

* * *

"Where have you been, Gula?" Aced snapped as the boy entered the room.

"Calm down," Gula slumped into a chair, "I've just been checking up on Luxu."

Ira turned from the bookshelf in front of him. "Why? Don't you trust him?"

"Not especially."

"Why?" Invi asked.

The boy breathed out a light laugh. "Invi, you of all people ask me that? Thing is… we never found the traitor. The master gave us all roles, and I intend to continue mine."

"And what was your role?"

"To find the traitor."

They deserved to know that much.

Gula glanced around the room. "I know it's none of you, so relax. But there is a clue from the master that I need to follow up on."

"And what is that?" Aced snapped.

"Uh uh. The last thing the master told me was to trust no one but myself. And while I've told you my role, that's the last bit of information I can give until my investigation is complete."

Ira strode over to him. "Why not let us help if you know we're innocent?"

"No Ira." Invi held up a hand. "We should stay out of this."

"And why is that?"

"If Gula is investigating this, he might be able to be under suspicion by himself. We all know him to be a sneaky one who looks into things naturally. But if we were involved, it would look more like an official investigation and tip off whoever the traitor is."

"Exactly." Gula smirked. He knew Invi would see it his way. "But, there is something you can do while I'm doing this."

"And that is?"

"Try to find out what happened to Ava. Luxu said she carried out her role, but she should still be here."

Aced groaned. "I guess we could do that. But don't you go putting yourself in danger while you're out there."

The boy chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

"Why do you look like that?"

"Well I couldn't go out looking like Minister Phinehas now could I?"

Kairi looked up at the young man who walked beside her. He had scruffy black hair and dressed sort of like Yozora(2); the master in disguise. "Guess not."

"And this way I can use my normal voice." He handed Kairi a chocolate covered strawberry ice cream. "Here."

"Thanks." She took it as the two strolled casually around the area beneath the giant 103 mall. "Sure we won't be noticed?"

"Best way to blend in is in a crowd." The master licked his coffee flavored ice cream.

Kairi ate her ice cream for a bit before asking. "I'm surprised you're not mad at me for disregarding your words."

"Ha." He grinned. "Actually, it was a bit refreshing. As long as I can remember people have taken my advice without question. It's a new experience to have someone throw it in my face like you did. Did Chirithy tell you to do that?"

"No. He said to trust what you do and not what you say."

"Good advice."

"I do trust what you said about the hacker. Stella, whom I trust, was able to back that story up with what she found. So, I guess your info on the LLE is right."

He paused, looking down at her. "You are something. For a Princess of Heart you are much more sly than I would've thought. You want to come be my apprentice when this is all over? I could use a student like you."

"No way."

"Well, didn't hurt to ask. So, what else did the army boys do?"

Kairi bit into the ice cream cone. Couldn't hurt to tell him. "They're looking for anyone who could be the hacker, whom they think to be the leader, like you said."

"Good." The master nodded. "With that guy walking around military HQ and maybe even the tower itself, no where is safe."

"I'm wondering how he hasn't found a card to the door already since Lucky was able to get one."

"The only reason she got one is because I swiped the king's and gave it to her."

Oh.

Why not, since that whole operation was illegal anyway?

Go big or go home.

"I'll talk to Aiko about some ideas." He tossed his napkin into a nearby trashcan. "We should probably expect the big LLE attack soon. If this guy has any idea what we're planning, he would want the door gone before we try and open it. So, we should be ready for an all-out invasion of Tokyo."

Kairi clenched her fists.

So many people could die from this. It wasn't right to just sit by and wait for something this horrible to happen.

"How?"

"Well," the master tapped his chin, "we can set up patrols around the city, but in civilian clothes. That way, things seem normal. We might be able to ask Magia to set up a meeting with the Yakuza to work together on this. Those guys might be criminals, but they do love this city and want to defend it."

That could work.

"And what about the door?"

"That's when we do our thing. While the city is under attack, you and Yozora run straight for the door. Get Sora and Maris out while the fighting is happening. From what everyone remembers, Maris was adept at Holy magic, which would be nice to have on our side. And then we'd have two Keyblade wielders to finish the fight too."

That's if they could locate the two fast enough.

"Maybe I can pass a message through dreams to have them go close to the door and wait there."

"Good idea! Are you sure you don't want to be my apprentice? At least think about it! Please!"

"No."

"Dangit. Well, you better get used to that new Keyblade in combat. You might need it."

That was very true. Alexis and Yozora would probably be willing to spar with her though, so she could easily get that time in.

A bell chimed overhead. "Oh man, two already? I need to get back to the tower soon. And you need to talk with your girlfriends."

"About?"

"What you're wearing to the Crystal ball next week."

The crystal ball…?

THE CRYSTAL BALL!

Kairi totally forgot.

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, it's still happening, but the engagement thing has been called off. With all this talk of Maris coming back, there's only one girl for Yozora. So, his dad totally called that part off, much to the chagrin of some nobility and some young ladies."

At least Yozora would be happy.

"I guess I'll need a dress."

"You'll need more than that." The master grinned. "It's a masque!"

"Masque?"

"Masquerade! Paper faces on parade! Masquerade(3)!"

A masquerade? She'd need a full costume.

The master clapped his hands. "It'll be so fun! And don't worry about the cost. When you have your theme chosen Hoshiko is going to pay that fashion lady, Serendipity, to make your outfit. But you should decide quickly."

"Thanks for telling me."

"No probs!" He turned, striding off into the crowd. "Be seeing ya, Kairi."

* * *

"Yes!" Stella screamed.

Zoraida, who'd taken the night off to come hang out, covered her ears. "Calm down, Stel."

"How can I be calm!? Kairi! You need to be the most stunning person there! Look like a true princess!"

Kairi giggled. "I figured you'd be excited."

"I am, especially since I'm not going."

"You're not?"

"Nah. It's for royals and people of higher command. Vallis is going since he's the leader of the snipers here, but no dates allowed. I don't mind though. I'm spending that night binging Black Clover with Lucky."

"You know it."

Zoraida tapped her chin. "I'm not going either, but I know a few temple officials are."

"I'm not going either," Cat sighed. "but I know who is. Aiko, Cid, and Alexis."

"So… what should my dress be?"

The girls all closed their eyes in thought.

"Something regal."

"Something majestic."

"Something powerful."

Something ethereal."

…

…

…

"WAIT! I'VE GOT IT!"

* * *

"Hey guys." Pence held up a piece of paper as he and the other teenagers made their way back from school. "We have another note."

Mickey took the note as everyone gathered around. "Well, this does make it sound like he's asking about the reclusant's sigil; the X. The question is why."

"Well, he didn't seem all that willing to talk before, so we may have to catch him again, and this time restrain him further."

"Isa," Aqua held up a hand, "I don't think it should come to that. Perhaps we can barter with him for the information. We want information he has and we have some he wants. A deal could easily be reached."

"Now he's calling himself 'Leopard' like he did when we met him. Why did he call himself a lost master before?" Axel mused as he looked at the note.

"To get our attention?" Offered Terra.

"If that was the case, it worked. But we need to figure this out. Do we continue sending messages to this guy?"

Xion plopped onto the couch. "I don't see why we shouldn't. I get the feeling he's not a bad guy."

"Same." Ven nodded.

"Well, we need to get to the bottom of this one way or another." The king folded up the note. "I agree with Aqua's suggestion. Let's barter with him for information. If he's desperate, he'll come to us. Let's use that to our advantage, but also not try and intimidate him."

Isa sighed. "Why not say that we refuse to answer him fully until he meets with us. We could say we know the sigil he means, and we'd be willing to discuss things if he will meet us here at the mansion, maybe after dark. And say that we'll trade our information for his."

Mickey nodded. "Good idea, Isa. I'll write him a note, and I'll leave him my name as a gesture to show we're willing to cooperate."

"Sounds good."

The king sat down and wrote out the note before walking outside and setting it in the tree.

He walked away, his mouse ears picking up a rustling in the foliage as he left.

* * *

**Ohmygosh we're so close to the end! I'm so excited!**

**Hope you enjoyed this! **

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) Gula quoted this phrase in Back Cover from his missing page in the book.

(2) Basically, he looks like Noctis right now.

(3) This is from the song "Masquerade" in The Phantom of the Opera.


	37. Chapter 37

**First of all, I would like to thank Seashorandmountains and Delozio for their help with the design of Kairi's outfit in this chapter. **

**Second, guys we are so close! **

**Probably you will get another chapter tonight and one tomorrow, and the next day to finish this story off! **

**Now! **

**On with the chapter!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 37: The Crystal Ball**

* * *

Kairi fiddled with the folds of her dress as she stood outside two massive wooden doors. "Is this formal introduction really necessary?"

"Hold still." Alexis laughed as she adjusted Kairi's mask. "Yes. You are a princess, and you are part of Yozora's squad." The older girl wore a suit rather than a dress. A simple golden suit with cream accents. A lioness mask rested over her eyes.

"The princess thing is a stretch and you know it." The girl turned to look in a mirror. Purple, blue, pink, and white fabric rippled down around her legs like waves of water. Three layers of glittery fabric covered her midsection, while green fabric, tipped with teal, covered her chest and formed the collar of her dress. She fidgeted with the pink gloves that went above her elbows. "And this seems like a bit much."

"The dress? No. You look lovely." Alexis straightened the pink and blue dragon wings that sprouted from the back of Kairi's dress(1).

Kairi sighed. The purple-blue dragon mask that covered her nose and eyes better hide just how nervous she felt.

"Introducing," called a man outside the doors as Kairi stepped up in front of them, "Princess Kairi."

Princess…

The doors swung open, and a light shone down upon Kairi as she strode inside.

The crowd gasped as she glided down the stairs. People whispered as she walked past, but the girl paid them no mind as she walked straight across the ballroom to nowhere in particular.

She reached a window, resting her hand against it as she gasped for air.

That was terrifying!

Everyone was staring at her…

Her eyes looked up to see the lovely skyline of Tokyo before her. The ball was being held in a large area of the Levia airship, so the city now seemed so far below them.

"Kairi." Phinehas strode over.

"Nice mask."

The minister laughed as he put a hand to his black goat mask. "What, you don't like it?"

"Kinda creepy to be honest."

"Aw, that hurts." He plopped down in a seat beside her, sipping a martini in his hand. "So, whose idea was it for your outfit? The goddess of the sea is a very particular choice for a costume."

The girl sat down as well. "Stella. And then when I told Serendipity about it, she went all out with the wings and the dragon mask. I wasn't sure how she'd make Leviathan look so elegant, but she did."

"Your name means ocean, doesn't it?"

"Home by the sea actually, but close."

"So, I'd say Leviathan is a great choice for you." He downed the last of his drink with a smile. "Now, I'm going to mingle. You just take tonight and relax. Alright?"

"Yeah."

He left Kairi sitting alone by the window.

She sat and sat.

This was boring…

"There you are."

She glanced up and smiled as Yozora approached; he wore a brown suit with cream accents and an owl mask. Magia followed behind wearing a navy kimono and a traditional fox mask.

"Hey."

"How is the prettiest girl at the party?"

"I'm not the prettiest girl here."

"According to literally everyone, you are. You didn't see yourself when you came out those doors. You were literally glowing!"

Yozora smiled and held out a hand for her to take. "Come on, you should at least mingle some."

Kairi took his hand and stood. She liked this new Yozora, or was it more the old one. He was still quiet, but more soft-spoken and gentle. When he spoke, he smiled. And he laughed so much more.

"Alright. Where is Aegis?"

"Hiding with Vallis and Atlas, I think. They don't do parties. They may do what Fitz did eventually." Magia smirked.

Kairi blinked. "What did Fitz do?"

"He got announced and then he dipped. Parties were never his thing anyways."

Lucky. Maybe Kairi could dip too. She felt so silly in this outfit.

Yozora pointed. "They're by the food."

"Food?"

"Come on." The three walked across the ballroom.

Kairi garnered stares again, and this time she could hear the whispers.

"Who is that princess?"

"She's beautiful!"

"Is she the reason the prince's engagement got cutoff?"

Oh brother.

Sitting by a wall just to the left of the refreshments sat Aegis, wearing a plain suit and a black and white mask, Atlas, wearing a snake mask with his navy suit, and Vallis, wearing a hawk mask and a matching suit.

They all seemed to be bored out of their minds too.

"Hey guys."

Atlas knocked back the rest of his wine. "Hey."

"You don't look like you're having fun."

Vallis chuckled dryly. "None of us want to be here. If I could've brought Stella this would've been more bearable, but no guests that aren't on the list allowed."

"Having Cat here would be better too." Atlas mused. "You know, I wasn't even supposed to come, but I got requested to come two days ago. I should be at home with my wife."

Kairi giggled, drawing their eyes to her.

"Kairi," Vallis smiled, "if you don't mind me saying, you look amazing."

"Stop…"

"No, you do. Has Stella seen your dress?"

"No."

"Hold on." The sniper pulled out his phone and snapped a picture. "She would kill me if I didn't send her a photo." He snapped the photo and sent it. Ten seconds later. "She sent a voice message."

"_OHMYGOSHSHELOOKSAMAZING!_"

They all laughed.

"Kairi," Magia asked, "do you have that gummi phone of yours with you?"

"I do." She reached beneath one of the folds in her dress. "Because this dress has pockets! Thank you Sera!"

"What's the big deal about pockets?"

"Ugh, you men would never understand the struggle of women's clothing and pockets, or rather lack there of(2)." She pulled out the gummi phone. "So, why did you want this?"

A grin crept across Magia's face. "We need a picture for you to show Sora."

* * *

"Where is Kairi?" Xion sighed as she stared at the screen.

"Everyone is in masks!"

"_No! Give me my gummi phone back!_"

"There she i-" A loud gasp escaped Olette's lips. "LOOK AT HER DRESS!"

Everyone gathered around the screen, watching as Kairi tried to take her phone back from Magia.

"Wow!"

"She looks beautiful!"

"_Come on, Kairi! You look amazing! I'm sure Sora would want to see a picture of you!_"

"Yes he would!" Lea cheered.

Sitting up, Magia looked at her. "_You're supposed to be the goddess Leviathan, aren't you?"_

"_Yeah._"

"_Well, you certainly look like a goddess._"

"_Magia, if you don't shut up I'm going to step on your foot! And I'm in heels; don't mess with me!_"

"_Come on! Just one photo._"

The girl groaned. "_Fine. One!_"

As Magia snapped a picture, Riku smiled. "I think we should leave her to have fun." He shut off the monitor.

"She better keep that dress!"

"I know! She looked amazing!"

* * *

"Give me that." The girl snatched back her phone before tucking it back in her pocket.

"You'll thank me later."

"Hush."

"Yozora." They all turned to see Hayate, donning a mask of the god Titan, walk toward them followed by Hoshiko and Dylan. The couple wore deity masks as well; Hoshiko, Shiva, and Dylan, Alexander.

Yozora smiled. "Father. This is a wonderful ball."

"It is. And Kairi, you are the star of tonight it seems. Everyone has been asking who you are. Cid and Aiko are going around spreading the word that you are taken so that no young men come asking for your hand tonight."

Kairi glanced over, seeing Aiko in a dragon mask and dress and Cid in a tonberry mask chatting with some nobles.

"Well, I'll be sure to thank them."

Hoshiko smiled. "Yozora, don't you look handsome tonight. Finally wearing something other than black."

"Well," he smiled, "I remembered green was my favorite color, and that I liked wearing brown and green, so I figured to go back to my old attire. The more I feel like my old self the less it seems that Frode has a hold on me. I've been thinking about coloring my hair back to the violet it used to be. I'd look like mother again."

Sighing gently, the king placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "You are reminding me of your mother every day. You are going to be a great king one day."

"Thank you, Father."

The clock above the entrance doors chimed for 8 o'clock.

"Oh, I guess it's time." Hayate quickly walked up the stairs to the balcony by the doors. "Attention everyone." The room fell silent. "Tonight, we celebrate the fall of evil. And, usually we would celebrate the engagement of the crown prince, but as things have changed, the engagement has been called off. Now, it is tradition for the king and queen to dance now, along with the prince and his bride-to-be. However, as my dear wife is not here, I shall not dance. And, since my son is not getting married, he may choose any young lady here to dance with."

All eyes turned to Yozora.

Without a moment's hesitation, he turned to Kairi. "Would Sora be angry if I asked you to be my partner for this dance? Just this once. Because you are the only girl here who won't try to talk me into marrying her."

"I don't think he would be."

"Then, may I have this dance, Princess?"

"Only if you never call me that again."

"It's a deal."

Kairi took Yozora's arm as they strode into the middle of the ballroom and began to sway as gentle music filled the room.

"You're a good dancer."

"I did take lessons," he laughed, "had to as the prince."

Kairi giggled. "So, I have a question, why an owl?"

"Well, I remembered that I used to be quite the bookworm before. And I loved poetry. My favorite poem as a child was called 'What Sees the Owl' by a woman named Elizabeth Sear Bates."

"Do you remember it?"

"His velvet wing sweeps through the night: With magic of his wondrous sight He oversees his vast domain, And king supreme of night doth reign."

"Short and sweet."

"Yes." Yozora nodded. "It was my favorite because of my mother. She named me Yozora, which means night sky. So, my nursery was painted like a night sky full of stars. I had a huge stuffed owl that she made with that poem stitched into its wings." He breathed out a laugh. "You know, I actually decided to be an owl for this ball when I was a kid."

"Really?"

"Maris and I dreamed of our costumes, though we both knew she wouldn't be there. I was to be an owl, and she was to be Asura, the goddess of love."

Kairi stopped dancing. "You'll see her soon."

"I know. Thank you."

Applause filled the room as they walked back over to their friends. Kairi turned to the prince. "Next time you have to pick a partner, it'll be Maris."

"And the next young man you dance with will be Sora." He grinned before walking to his father.

The girl sat down, staring into the crowd. She wondered what outfit Sora would wear.

Probably a lion. After visiting the Pride Lands they'd become his favorite animal. No one on the islands had ever heard of them, but he gave a full presentation for school on them, having been one before.

She could almost see him in the crowd. A red jacket with golden trim over a black shirt, pants, and boots, and a golden lion mask barely covering his spikey hair.

"Thinking of Sora?" Aegis asked.

"Yeah."

"Does he dance?"

"Yes, pretty well actually."

"Well, you'll see him soon, and then you can dance with him."

"I plan on it."

POP!

All the lights on the ship turned off all at once.

"What's going on?!"

SMASH!

Glass shattered near the windows and the doors slammed open in the darkness.

Kairi could hear feet moving around in the darkness.

The lights flashed back on, blinding the guests.

Kairi blinked.

"Get against the wall!" Men in black uniforms, all holding guns stood before them, weapons pointed their way.

Everyone moved against the walls.

"What is going on!?" Hayate bellowed. "Who are you?!"

"Do not worry, your highness."

A figured entered through the main doors, dressed in a regal red outfit, laced with black accents. A flaming mask, a mask of Ifrit, covered his entire face, and his voice sounded muffled.

"We are the LLE, and I am the leader you have looked so hard for." He bowed to the king. "Now, we do not wish for needless bloodshed, so I ask, oh king, for you to hand over the key to the door."

* * *

This was as dark as it was going to get. The low sun cast red light around. After dark around Twilight Town meant low dusk, unless the festival was going on, and that was a while ago.

It had been days since Gula found the note asking him to come to the mansion. He wasn't quite sure what to do.

The offer seemed promising, but this was no time to be rash.

So, he waited.

And waited.

And they did not send another note.

So, this was their final answer. They were forcing him to come out.

Fine.

He slunk around the back of the mansion, keeping to the shadows, hoping that Luxu wasn't watching him.

Pushing open a back window, Gula slipped inside.

Well, that was eas-

Strong arms reached from the shadows, grabbing him by the shoulders. They spun him around until he came face to face with then silver haired young man, Riku.

"Took you long enough. Now, let's have a little chat."

* * *

**OH MY GOSH GUYS WE'RE SO CLOSE!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) Think of the wings of Danielle's dress in Ever After.

(2) Ladies, you know what I mean!


	38. Chapter 38

**GUYS! TWO MORE CHAPTERS TO GO!**

**THERE'S NO STOPPING ME NOW!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 38: One Shot**

* * *

Hayate glared at the man in the Ifrit mask. "The key?"

"Hand it over."

"Listen, we have a plan to seal the door forever, if you just stop this right now-"

"I don't care about your plans. You don't know if that one will work. I know mine will. Now, give me the key."

Slowly reaching into his suit, the king pulled out the keycard and gave it to the man.

"Thank you."

The man glanced around the ballroom. "I am sorry to have interrupted such a momentous gathering of people, and I surely wish I could stay, but I have to be off. Enjoy your time." He strode back toward the doors, stopping at the one nearest Kairi and the others. "I thank you all, for everything."

"The honor was ours."

Huh…

That sounded like-

The man walked out, but his gunmen remained, probably waiting for their leader to leave. The man in front of Kairi waited for a few minutes before he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small device.

"Hold on!" Magia yelled.

"For the sake of the world."

The man pressed a button on the device as Magia lunged toward him.

BOOM!

BOOM!

The airship shuddered as flames erupted outside a window.

"They blew the engines!"

"We're falling!"

Kairi fell against the wall as the airship began to tip, falling toward the earth below.

Yozora warped across the room, summoning his weapon as he jumped out the broken windows.

Kairi looked up as he summoned fake gigas from his weapon, lots of them. He ran out of sight, probably along the ship, summoning more.

The shaking stopped and the ship, still falling, slowed.

Thank goodness.

"FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD!" One of the gunmen open fired into the crowd of guests.

The others open fired too. Kairi summoned her Keyblade, leaping in front of a crowd of nobles. She cast a shield as Aegis attacked the gunman.

Across the room, she saw Aiko, Cid, and everyone else involved in the military attacking the gunmen.

Nearby, her eyes caught the sight of blood trickling out from some of the onlookers.

Her stomach felt sick.

The airship jolted again but stopped falling. Kairi thought she heard the sound of rushing water.

"Yozora must have landed us in the harbor." Aegis drew back his fist and punched the gunman unconscious.

"That's what you get! YOU MONSTERS!" All eyes turned to Phinehas. He stood over a gunman, beating him with a cane. "You deserve this!"

"Phinehas stop!"

"Phinehas!"

Kairi looked into his eyes. She wasn't sure if he was acting or not, but he looked genuinely distraught. Was he really so angry?

Aiko ran over, grabbing his arms. "Minister, calm down!"

"He shot them!"

"He shot wh-" Cid froze, his face turning white, "HAYATE!"

"The king…"

Kairi stumbled over with Magia and Aegis. Her stomach leapt into her throat, threatening to purge itself as she came upon the sight of Hayate, Hoshiko, and Dylan riddled with bullet holes.

"No."

Dylan lay on top of his wife, having attempted to shield her, to no avail.

Hayate coughed. He lived. "Sir!" Kairi knelt down, Keyblade in hand, "hold on. I'll he-"

"No, Kairi…" The king weakly put his hand on hers. "It's too late. I-I need you to promise me… promise me you'll seal the doors, and save the two beyond it. P-promise me."

"I-I promise. I promise!"

He smiled, coughing again, blood trickling out the side of his mouth. "A-Aegis, Magia… watch over Yozora… please."

"We will."

"For as long as we live."

"Good." Hayate glanced up at Cid and Phinehas. "Take care, my old friends… Now, where is my son?"

"He saved the airship. He'll be back any minute. Just hold on till then."

"I don't… think I can. Tell him, that I loved him with… with all… with all my hear…" A film washed over the king's eyes as his hand fell to the floor.

Kairi felt herself gag as she turned away.

It all happened so fast.

How?

How had it gone so wrong so fast?

Footsteps.

She looked up as Yozora jumped back in through the window, looking pleased with his work. His smile dropped as he saw bullet holes, and all the forlorn faces.

His mouth opened to ask why, but the crowd parted.

And he saw his father.

"FATHER!"

* * *

"This feels more like an interrogation than a trading of information."

"Well, if you had been a little more cooperative we wouldn't have resorted to this." Quipped Isa.

Gula sat in a chair in the basement, with the others in front of him. He wasn't bound, but their stares told him that he was not permitted to leave just yet.

"Well, I'll be cooperative now. Starting with my name in exchange for all of yours. My name is Gula."

"Gula. Well, this is Axel, Xion, Roxas, Riku, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Terra, Aqua, Ven, Hayner, Pence, Olette, and I'm Isa."

Gula smiled. "A pleasure to meet you all formally, though some of us have met before."

"Why the secrecy?"

"I wasn't sure if I was being watched, so I figured the notes were a safer way of communicating."

"Watched by who."

"I'll get to that," Gula crossed his arms, "now, why don't you tell me about this sigil. What is it?"

Mickey nodded. "It's called the recusant's sigil. It was used by Xehanort as a reference to the χ-blade. Members of the organization, at least the original, all had the letter X in their names to serve as the sigil, because the plan was to use them as vessels. Sora was marked with it during his mark of mastery exam so that Xehanort could track him."

"And we realized it was on our clothing too." Aqua added. "That's one of the reasons we changed our outfits when we returned."

"So, it's an X?" Gula asked.

"Yes."

"Interesting." He tapped his chin.

If that was the case… the traitor was the one who bore the sigil. Only one member had an X in their name. In both names he bore too.

Donald tapped his foot. "Now it's your turn. Who are you?"

"Who am I? Well, that's a long story." The boy smirked. "The short of it. I'm a Keyblade master, like some of you. But I come from the far past."

"The past?"

"One of the members of my group has been in your time for a while, so he caught us up. I am one of the lost masters from the Keyblade War. I trained dozens of wielders who would eventually fight and die in that very war. With me so far?"

He wanted to laugh. Everyone stared at him, mouths agape.

Thing was, did they believe his story?

Axel sighed. "Well, considering our own craziness, I'm just going to accept this and move on."

"Really?"

"Gula, you don't know the half of what we've been through and seen. If we were to try and explain everything your brain might just break. Let's just say someone coming from the past isn't entirely out of the question, that far back does make it weird, but honestly, not that weird."

"Axel is right." Aqua nodded. "And you said you and your group earlier. Are there others?"

Gula nodded. "Our master had six apprentices. Five of us are here… where the last one is, I don't know. I wish I did. I'm worried about her."

Naminé sat on the floor, listening intently as she clutched her sketchbook. "How did you get here, to our time?"

"When the war ended, we were thrown out of this world and time. It was like dreaming… dreaming for so long. Then we were called back by one of our fellow apprentices. He'd been in your world for a long time, changing vessels to keep himself alive."

"Like Xehanort."

Standing up, Gula paced. "Thing is, he never mentioned Xehanort or any of you by name when he told us what had been happening. He did say a group of wielders stopped a man from starting another Keyblade war, and that the man was wielding our master's Keyblade, No Name."

"Speaking of Keyblades," Terra asked, "can we see yours real quick, just to corroborate your story."

"Of course."

In a flash, Gula's Keyblade appeared in his hand. Aqua walked over, gazing down at it. "It's remarkably made… did you make it?"

"No, my master did."

"Well, it's amazing craftmanship."

"Look!" Xion pointed at the keychain. "Master Xehanort's Keyblade had that eye on it."

Gula took the keychain in his hand. "All of our master's Keyblades had this. He put it in every single one. Not sure why."

"Did your master have a Keyblade that had a goat's head at the hilt?"

"That was his Keyblade, and is the one that Luxu has now. No Name."

"No Name."

Riku cocked his head. "Luxu?"

Dismissing his Keyblade, Gula nodded. "Luxu is the one who summoned us back here. He looked very different and said others call him by another name, but it was him."

"What name?"

"What name did Luxu go by?"

Gula crossed his arms. "Oh, what was it…? I think it was… Xigbar."

"XIGBAR!?"

"No way! No! No! There is no way THAT GUY is a Keyblade wielder! No way!"

"So, you know him?"

"Know him!? Half of us used to work with him, and all of us have nearly been killed by him! He's nuts!"

"But," Riku held up his hand, "he said something to me and Sora. He said that Xehanort was going to give… No Name to him after everything was all over. I questioned if he was worthy or not, but he just smiled, and then fell off a cliff. I thought he was dead."

"Guess he wasn't."

"So, he was your enemy…" Nodded Gula. "This proves the theory I had. I had a bad feeling about him, and I didn't trust him at all. Looks like I was right."

Isa began to pace around the room. "No Name… the guy who sent the Darklings after us and went for the computer was using No Name. That must have been Xigbar… or Luxu. He doesn't want us to save Sora and Kairi."

Sora and Kairi?

Who were they?

No matter, he could ask that another time.

"What really bothered me about Luxu is that he is willing to side with the darkness. As you said, he sent Heartless after you all. Our master, and according to him, the master's plan is all about defeating the original darkness of this world, a being known solely as Darkness. If that was the case, why side with it? I need more answers."

Gula headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to check a few more things… is there any place that might hold answers about this Xehanort, and about Luxu?"

"The Keyblade graveyard, but we still need to talk."

"No. I have my answers, and all you have is questions I don't have answers too. I can't tell you about Luxu or his plans, and I honestly don't know my own master's plans well. I will keep you all updated though."

"Take this." Isa walked over to a computer and picked up a spare gummi phone. "We won't call you, but you can contact us and keep records on that thing."

Nice.

"Thanks, for everything."

As he left, his mind swirled.

The traitor was Luxu, it had to be. Luxu and Xigbar. Both names contained the sigil. It was no coincidence.

But why would the master put all of this work and planning in the hands of the traitor?

The master knew the future, he knew it was Luxu all along…

Just what was going on?

* * *

"Yozora…?"

"What do we do now?" The young man stared out at the city. Fires burned and explosions broke the city apart.

Magia sighed. "We can't just stand here. We have to do something."

Phinehas walked up beside them. "Get to the door. You have to save Sora and Maris before the LLE gets there. Right now the military and the Yakuza are keeping the LLE back. You have to get to the tower first. That's your first priority."

"And you need to stay out of combat, Yozora." Aegis added. "You… you're the king now. We can't have you dying."

"I don't care what happens to me." His silver eye shuddered. "But you're right… we need Maris and Sora." He pulled his comlink out of his pocket. "Hercshal, get my squad a change of clothes, and meet us at the docks nearest the tower. We'll be waiting."

The pri- the young king closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

No time to mourn.

Not now.

"Are you ready?"

"Always!"

"Of course!"

The three looked at Kairi. Her eyes shone, determined. Angry. Sorrowful. "Yes. Let's go."

This was it.

They had one shot…

* * *

**I'm going to write the next one tonight! Be ready guys!**

**Hope you enjoyed! **


	39. Chapter 39

**This chapter doesn't stop! Hope you are ready! **

**I know I did say it was going to be 41 chapters, but I combined two chapter into one, so now it's only 40!**

**So, next chapter is the last.**

**So…**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 39: At Last**

* * *

"Hurry it up, boys! I need to get out of this dress!"

"Almost done!"

Kairi sat in the front seat of Herchsal's vehicle. The boys were in the back changing out of their party clothes.

"So," Kairi looked at the console in front of her. "Hercshal, this button moves the wall back further, right?"

"That's correct." The old man smirked. "Want to try it and make them hurry it up?"

"Please."

Kairi pressed the button.

A minute later, the wall separating her and Hercshal from the boys moved, pushing back.

"HEY!"

"WHAT GIVES!?"

"KAIRI!?"

"Hurry it up then!"

The wall stopped, and a door opened. A disgruntled Aegis, Magia, and Yozora stumbled out. "Seriously."

Hercshal smirked. "It's bad to keep a lady waiting."

Kairi pushed past them, shutting the door before she changed her clothes.

This was it.

The final battle before her.

She joked with her friends only to calm her own nerves. Her entire body shuddered as she pulled on her boots, but forced her mind to focus. Get to the door.

Save Sora.

Save Maris.

That was the goal. That's all she needed to think about now.

That's all.

The car pulled to a stop as she donned her beret.

"Be careful." Hercshal called after them.

"You too!"

The four ran into the crystal tower as gunfire and explosions echoed through the streets.

"The elevator is down!"

"They're already down there!"

Yozora leapt down the elevator shaft, followed by the other three.

He pulled out his sword, shattering the glass elevator as they landed.

Before them stood the man in the Ifrit mask, alone.

"So, you survived? I had a feeling."

Kairi took a step forward. "Stop! I can seal the door, so that no more darkness comes from it! If you destroy it, you'll destroy everything! You don't want that… You want to live… right?"

"I don't care if I destroy this world. I want the curse of the door gone. No more maiden. No more hero to kill her. Seal the door, that won't change the broken way this world works! We have to destroy it all!"

"But don't you have people you care about here!?"

He paused. "I-I've already made sure… there is no one left. And you will complete that."

His hand reached up, pulling the mask down. A mess of black hair and glasses appeared behind the mask.

"Huh!?"

"F-Fitz… you're the… the LLE's leader!?"

Fitz sighed. "I'm sorry Yozora. None of you were supposed to make it this far. I didn't want you to see me like this. But… I assume Mother, Father, and the king are dead now. At least they won't have to suffer the end of this world."

"YOU MEANT TO KILL THEM!?"

"I didn't want them to suffer at the end of the world. I figured it was better this way." He smiled sadly. "Yozora, don't you want this cycle to end? The champion and the maiden, doomed to a horrible fate."

Yozora shook, his eyes barely visible beneath his bangs. "Of course! But Kairi can fix it! And we're getting your sister back."

"Sealing the door is not a sure answer. The only way to stop the cycle for good is to kill this world. Then it will stop!"

Kairi gasped. "You… you were the one who hacked Stella's computer. We let you use her computer to try and hack the LLE and you-"

"Planted my own virus. Yes. That was the plan. And I was glad you made it out of that building Kairi. I hoped you'd have enough time to get out before it blew up. I like you. Flawed though your plan may be, you have a good heart." He pulled two guns out of his belt. "Now, understand that I have to do this. Please, don't fight me. It will only make things worse. I'd hate for you to suffer the end of this world too." He smiled. "Forgive me."

BANG!

The bullet bounced off Kairi's Keyblade as she stood in front of Yozora. "Not happening."

She charged, switching Kingdom Key-Q out for the keychain from Cid. She only had that one and Stella's on hand.

Her Keyblade changed into a long wooden shaft with a green tail serving as the blade and brown rough texture, like cloth serving as the guard. She felt strength course through her as the name _Chef's Knife_ enter her mind.

She swung downward, causing Fitz to leap back. He fired at her, only for Aegis to jump in front, shield at the ready.

"Oh dear. I'm sorry to have to do this."

Pressing a button on his watch, he smiled. The ground thudded behind them as two Doomtrain gigas fell down the elevator shaft.

"Not those things!"

"I've got them!" Kairi charged, sliding under the venomous blade.

Don't get hit.

Don't get hit.

She slashed, her movements slower as the Keyblade felt heavy in her hands. She felt power course through her as the Keyblade changed and the blank dressphere in her pocket glowed.

Her clothes changed to green and brown(1) as the Keyblade took the shape of a giant knife. Barely able to heft the thing, Kairi decided to spin, her momentum carrying her around as she swung in a circle. This would keep those Doomtrains back.

She felt the blade make contact. One Doomtrain down!

Her Keyblade changed again. This time to a morning star with a lantern for the mace. She swung it around, slamming it into the other Doomtrain as hard as she could.

Breathing hard, she stumbled back. Man, this Keyblade was heavy.

"I'll tag in." Magia zipped past her, casting spells. He held one rapier toward her and cast Cure as her Keyblade reverted back.

The second Doomtrain exploded.

The man paused at Kairi's side. "Here. Fitz dropped it."

The keycard!

"Take Yozora and go. Aegis and I will hold Fitz off."

"Alright. Yozora! Come on!" She held up the card and ran for the door.

Fitz gasped. "No! Give that ba-" A Blizzardza spell slammed into him as Yozora ran past.

"We'll take care of this. Go!"

Swipe.

The door opened. Kairi and Yozora stepped inside, closing the door behind them.

"I don't know how we're getting out, but at least Fitz isn't getting in."

Yozora suddenly fell to his knees. "Fitz… I can't… he was like my brother… how could he do this to us?"

"Yozora… we have to go. Come on." Her hands grabbed his arm, gently pulling as he stood back up. "I know, this is all happening so fast. We'll have time to deal with it, but not now. Fitz will try another way to get in, and Aegis and Magia can't hold him off forever."

The two hurried through the dark cave until they reached the door. Kairi switched her Keyblade back to Kingdom Key-Q as they got closer.

"I haven't been here since Maris…"

"Well, let's not waste ti-" The ground shuddered.

"What's going on!?"

A metallic hand, tipped with a rock drill shot up through the floor. "

"Gigas!?"

"Fitz did have another way!"

"What should we do!?"

"Go through that door!"

Phinehas appeared before them, wearing the black coat. He thrust the hood over his face, and Kairi saw his disguising spell vanish. "I'll hold them off." The master said. "I may not have a Keyblade anymore, but I've got magic!"

"Phinehas… a Keyblade… what?"

"No time!" Kairi pointed her Keyblade at the door.

Light shot forward, spreading across the door as the sound of a key turning echoed through the room.

With a groan, the doors swung open.

Sky and sea, shrouded in night spread out before them.

Kairi took the first step through the door with Yozora right behind her. They didn't even look back as the doors creaked closed once more.

"Well… we're here."

"Now, where do we go?"

Good question.

Nothing but the doors behind them and empty sky and sea before them. "I asked Chirithy to relay a message for them to come by the door, so maybe they're nearby." She cupped her hands. "HELLO! IS ANYONE THERE!"

…

…

Nothing.

"HELLLLLOOOOOO!?"

"We hear you!" A faint voice reached her ears.

"Did you hear that!?"

"I did!"

One step. Two. They jogged across the land, rippling the surface around them. The sky began to change from night to dawn as they ran.

Two shapes began to form on the horizon, growing larger by the moment.

Yozora picked up the pace, passing Kairi as the taller figure came into focus, outpacing the other. "MARIS!"

"Yozora!" She leapt into his arms, planting a kiss on his lips.

Kairi passed them by as she ran toward the other figure. Sora had slowed his pace, holding out his arms for her.

"SORA!" She leapt forward, knocking him off his feet. They both tumbled to the ground laughing. She buried her head in his chest. "You're here… you're really here. It's not a dream."

Two arms wrapped around her as Sora sat up, pulling her close. "I'm here, Kairi."

The girl looked up into his crystal blue eyes just in time for him to lean forward, putting his lips against hers.

Kairi closed her eyes, leaning into the kiss and his embrace.

Finally.

Finally together.

The couples sat there for a bit before Sora and Kairi stood up.

"Are you ready?" Kairi asked.

"Yes."

"Just so you know, we are going back into a fight."

"Should've known."

Maris and Yozora walked over. "If we're ready…"

"Yeah."

They could barely see the door in the distance. As they walked back, Sora grinned. "Nice to see you again, Yozora."

"And you, Sora."

They approached the doors. Kairi and Sora put their hands on one door as Yozora and Maris did the same to the other side. With a push, the doors flung open.

On the other side, the master stood among broken giga parts. "You did it!"

"Um, why is there a guy in an organization coat here?"

"And why does Phinehas sound different."

Kairi sighed. "To answer you both, he's an ancient Keyblade master from our worldline who has been taking the name Phinehas this whole time. But we ca talk about that later."

"Right."

Yozora and Maris, together, pushed the doors closed.

Kairi summoned her Keyblade, and Sora his. Together, light blossomed from their blades, coating the door. The seam around and between the two sides began to seal up, becoming nothing but a wall rather than a door.

A door no one would open again.

"The door is done… never again." Yozora sighed as Maris took his hand. "No one will suffer as we have."

"Never again."

BOOM!

The cavern ceiling above them crumbled, a drilling giga falling through, this time with Fitz standing on it.

"Magia and Aegis…"

"Don't worry, they live..e I just sent Doomtrains to keep them oc-"

"Brother?" Maris gasped, stepping forward. "Fitz, what are you doing!?"

The young man paused. "M-Maris…!?"

"Fitz, stop!"

"Fitz, the door is sealed! Your sister is back! You can stop this!"

The young man gaped, staring down at his sister. "No… you can't be real. Maris is gone. She's gone… SHE'S GONE! HOW DARE YOU MAKE THIS ILLUSION TO TRICK ME!?"

He let out a scream as he pointed his gun at his own sister.

"Holy!" A beam of light slammed into the giga, throwing Fitz back. "Brother," Maris breathed out, "what has happened to you?"

"Die you FAKE!" The ceiling above broke off as a massive giga, the size of a building, tore it away. "ALL OF YOU WILL DIE!?"

Yozora summoned his weapons. "Kairi, can you and Sora take the giga?"

"Of course we can!" Sora cheered. "We can do anything!"

"Together!"

The couple leapt out of the hole, hand in hand. "Hey Sora. Watch this!"

Kairi clipped on the keychain from Stella and Lucky. Her Keyblade became pink with a winged heart for the blade, and frilly lace for the guard; _Blossoming Heart_. She ran up the giga's giant arm, Sora right behind her.

She slashed at the robot's head.

"Look out!" Sora threw his Keyblade as small drones swarmed around them.

"Thanks!"

Kairi gasped as the Keyblade changed and another dressphere activated.

Her clothes became a pale pink with white and yellow accents(2) as the Keyblade changed into a small staff with a winged heart on the end.

"Whoa…"

Kairi pointed her rod at the giant giga's head, a beam of magic erupting from the staff. She slammed it down, the staff creating deep dents in the robot's head.

She gasped as a drone fired, the shot hitting her shoulder.

"That's it!" She turned around, the Keyblade changing again to a single gauntlet. Around her, the rest of the Keyblade formed her own army of tiny drones(3). "Take this!" Clenching her fist, the drones all fired on the giga's drones.

"You're amazing!" Sora cheered as her Keyblade reverted back, all the drones now gone.

"Thanks! Now let's show this thing what we can do together!" A glow erupted from Kairi's pocket. "What!?"

Sora grinned. "The card!" Luxord's card floated into the air, turning into a small orb with a wing. "It looks like a drive form. Grab it!" Both of them clenched their fists around the orb.

Light engulfed them until they could only see each other in a ball of light.

"Sora, your Keyblade!"

Kingdom Key began to pulse in Sora's hand. A pair of paopu fruits appeared at the top of the guard as a red ribbon wrapped around the shaft. The keychain changed to the other half of his necklace.

"Kingdom Key-K…"

"King and Queen." Kairi held up her Keyblade before reaching out to Sora.

"Yeah." He took her hand, the light exploding as a wing erupted from each of their backs.

They flew in front of the giga, hand in hand.

"TOGETHER!" They flew forward, slashing at the robot.

It raised giant hands to swat at them, but Sora cast Thundza each time.

"Sora!"

"Kairi!"

Placing their Keyblades together, a bright light covered them again, culminating at the end of their weapons. A bright blast of light blossomed from their blades, slicing the giant giga in two.

The two landed on the ground, the light and their wings fading away. "We did it!"

"Yeah!"

Running back to the giant hole in the ground, Sora and Kairi jumped down.

Just in time to see Yozora plunge his blade into Fitz.

"Wh-why… I-I just wanted to… save… the world."

The young man fell backwards, the sword slipping out of him.

"Fitz," Yozora sighed, "I'm sorry."

Maris hurried over, kneeling beside her brother. She moved his head to her lap, smiling sadly. "Brother… I'm here. It's alright now."

Gasping, Fitz coughed. "I-it is you… Maris… it's y-you."

"I'm here."

She touched his face as Fitz began to shudder, tears streaming from his eyes. "Y-you're here. You're here… I-I did all of this… for nothing… didn't I?"

"I guess so. But it's alright. Just rest."

"No… I-I killed them. I killed our… our parents… I killed the king. I… was… I was going to save this world."

"The world is saved now. It's ok. Your job is done. Rest."

Fitz rolled his head to look at Yozora. "I-I messed up… didn't I?"

"A bit, yeah."

"H-here…" Slowly, he handed Yozora a small flashdrive. "S-Stella can… can shut the gi-gigas down…" He coughed, blood beginning to trickle from his mouth. "I-I'm s-sorry. I'm s-sorry."

Maris, choking back her own tears, bent over, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead. "I-I forgive you, little brother."

"Y-you do?"

"I do."

"Th-then I g-guess… I-I can sleep now…"

"Yes, you can sleep now."

Fitz closed his eyes as his sister's tears fell onto his face.

One final breath escaped his lips.

And all fell still.

* * *

**Well, expect the soft happy things next chapter, in the LAST CHAPTER.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

* * *

Footnotes: 

(1) We'll call this form her Mythical Form.

(2) This is her Soul form. 

(3) Thanks Yamichaos for this idea.


	40. Chapter 40

**This is it! The final chapter!**

**Thank you all so much for joining me on this journey. It has been so fun creating this story and I'm glad you have all enjoyed it!**

**Thank you to everyone who created OCs for this story and help with ideas!**

**And so…**

**For the last time.**

**Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!**

**My OCs © to me!**

**Other OCs © to their respective owners!**

* * *

**Chapter 40: Homecoming**

* * *

"So this is what the Keyblade can do."

"Sora's much better at using it than me."

Sora stood in front of Yozora, Keyblade out. Yozora letting out a long breath as light from the Keyblade touched his chest. "Think this will work?"

"I think so. If I can seal this Frode guy in your heart he shouldn't cause you much trouble anymore." Sora grinned as he put his Keyblade away. "That should do the trick."

Maris took Yozora's arm. "Did it work?"

"I don't kn-"

"Look!" Magia cheered!

Yozora's hair began to change colors, from silver to a soft violet, and the red all but vanished from his eye.

"Amazing."

Sora smiled at Kairi. "I'll show you how to do something like that later."

"Thanks."

Yozora kissed Maris before turning to the couple. "Thank you, both of you, for everything."

"It was nothing really."

"Says you."

"So," Aegis asked, "are you staying for the coronation?"

Kairi nodded. "Yes. I asked Riku in my dreams not to bring us back until I say. And I did tell him we were having an extra person tagging along."

"Thank you!" Off to the side stood the master, hood up over his face.

Yozora turned to him. "Phinehas, I can't believe you were a Keyblade master all this time… why keep it a secret?"

"Well, I did kinda give my Keyblade to my apprentice, so it's kinda weird saying I'm a Keyblade master but I don't have a Keyblade anywhere to be seen."

"Ok, I guess that makes sense."

Sora yawned. "Well, I think I'm going to go lay down… being dead is apparently tiring."

"Well you did come back and go straight into a fight."

"Yeah. And I feel like I'm going to fall over."

Yozora smiled. "Kairi, why don't you take him to the lounge. He can lay down there."

"Sure."

Kairi walked into the crystal tower with Sora. The tower itself seemed intact, with a few pieces fractured off here and there, and the inside of the tower was already being repaired.

Seems like they had extra glass elevators in spades, as the elevator was already working again.

Outside the tower, Stella shut the gigas down, and now the entire city was in clean up mode.

Sora leaned against her as they went up in the elevator. He felt heavy and his eyes threatened to close. "You'd think after being dead, you wouldn't be sleepy."

"I know right…" He sighed as they went into the lounge. Sora flopped onto one of the couches, eyes shut in moments.

Kairi sat by his head, moving so that she could rest his head on her lap. In his sleep, he smiled.

"It feels like a dream…"

"But it's real." Chirithy appeared beside them. "You did it. After all that, you saved him. How do you feel?"

"I feel like I can do anything."

She ran her fingers through Sora's hair as she leaned her own head back. Some rest would be nice. They'd been up all night.

After the battle, clean up started. And then there was getting the stuff to Stella, introducing Sora to Magia and Aegis…

Kairi's eyes finally closed, and she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

"We should check on them."

Magia walked into the lounge and paused. "Nah, they're fine. Look."

Aegis, Yozora, and Maris looked in, seeing the two asleep on the couch with Chirithy curled up beside Kairi.

"Let's leave them be. You have a coronation to prepare for, Yozora."

"I don't see why we need to have one so soon, it's not like I'm going anywhere, and the city is in ruins."

Aegis shook his head. "The city needs it. Right now, they need to understand that the country has stability with you at its head. Now is the perfect time for a coronation."

"I guess…"

"Hush," Magia waved a hand, "we should talk about this somewhere else. Let's not wake those two."

"Yeah."

* * *

"Wow, you look beautiful." Maris giggled as she adjusted part of her own dress.

"Two nights in a row I have to wear this dress. At least I got to ditch the wings and mask. And you look beautiful too."

Maris wore a long silver gown with yellow stars around it. "It was my mother's…"

"Oh."

The older girl sat down. "I can't believe my family is now gone. I hoped to see my mother and father again, but… to find out they're dead and by my brother's hand. I just… I don't want to think about it. The funeral for them and the king will be after the coronation, so I'm trying to hold my grief in, just for a little while. For Yozora's sake."

"He's grieving too… and you have each other to lean on. Hold onto that. Hold onto each other."

Maris smiled sadly. "You're pretty wise for your age, Kairi."

"No, I just speak from experience." The girl pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

Ding.

Ding.

The clock chimed behind them. "Oh, we should go. Don't want the others to be waiting on us."

"Where is it happening?"

"Here. We do have a smaller ballroom. Since… well since the Levia is in the bay right now, it's what we have to use."

"Alright. Let's go."

* * *

"Kairi!" Stella and Lucky rushed over, both girls decked out in bright dresses. "Oh my gosh! You did it! You actually did it!"

"Now, where is the boy! We need to meet him!"

Vallis walked over, smiling. "Great job, Kairi."

"Thank you." Giggles pour from Kairi's lips. She felt so happy knowing it was all over.

Lucky paused, her mouth falling open. "Oh, that must be him. The man of the hour."

Turning around, Kairi found herself staring at Sora. But, he now wore a nice suit with a red shirt. "Sora! Y-you look wonderful!"

"And you look… absolutely stunning!"

"You should've seen her with the wings," Magia grinned, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder, "and the mask. Have her show you the picture I took when you get back."

"Sounds good."

Oh brother.

"Sora," Kairi grabbed his arm, "I'd like you to meet some of my friends. This is Lucky, Stella, and Vallis."

"Nice to meet you all."

"Nice to meet you too!"

"Kairi!" Zoraida suddenly swept in, hugging the girl. "I can't believe it! When you first told me your plan, I never thought it would happen, but here he is. You actually did it!"

Before Kairi could speak, a metal arm pulled her into a hug. "Kairi! You are something else!"

"General… you're squishing me."

"Oops."

Cid laughed as he sauntered over to Sora. "So, this is the boy we've heard so much about. Nice to finally meet you, Sora. Name's Cid!"

"Cid? I know another guy named Cid too."

"Really? Didn't think my name was that common."

Another hand touched Kairi's arm. She turned to see Cat and Atlas. "Oh, hello."

"Kairi, I'm so happy for you. You finally found him."

Atlas smirked. "It seemed impossible, but you seem to make a habit of defying that."

"I guess Sora and I both do."

Cat laughed. "And he's a cutie too. Hold onto him. After what you've told me, he seems like a keeper."

"I intend to never let him go again."

"Good."

"So," Alexis smirked as she stood over Kairi, "you finally completed your goal. I knew you would. You were always strong, strong enough to save him. You just needed to see that for yourself."

"Thank you, Alexis."

Kairi laughed as all her friends gathered around. Sora watched, smiling.

His heart warmed at seeing Kairi surrounded by friends, friends who had been by her side during one of the toughest moments in her life.

"Excuse me everyone, but we are about to begin the ceremony."

The room, filled with only a small number of people, including some news crews, settled down.

A man in robes, similar to Zoraida stepped out of a set of doors, must have been a priest of some kind.

Maris and Yozora, arm in arm, followed him out. Yozora wore a brown suit with an emerald green cape, and looked more regal than Kairi had ever seen him.

Maris stepped to the side as Yozora faced the priest, kneeling before him.

"Under the guidance of the Astrals, a king must rule. As the great Ramuh is kind and just, so should a king be. As Brynhildr shines like the sun, so should a king be a beacon of light to his land. As Shiva's cool light calms the fires of the day, so should a king work to calm the fires of anger and discord. As Titan cares for the earth and all upon it, so should a king. As Leviathan cares for the sea and all who dwell within, so should a king. As Odin cares for and prevents cruelty to the beasts of this world, so should a king. As Alexander builds and creates new cities, so should a king. As Asura loves and cares for the young ones in this world, so should a king. As Bahamut goes to battle only as a last resort, so should a king. And as Ifrit respects the dead who come into his arms, so should a king. Do you, Yozora, swear to do these things?"

"I swear."

The priest reached beside him, lifting a silver crown from a small cushion. "Then, in the name of the Astrals, I crown you King Yozora."

He placed the crown on Yozora's head.

The room erupted in applause as the new king stood. He smiled warmly, looking around at everyone. "This message is not just for the people of Japan, but for all the world. As of last night, the door to death has been sealed forever. Our world is free of its curse. No more maiden. No more champion. No more great darkness. And we owe this to two very special people." He held out a hand. "Kairi, Sora, please come here."

The young couple glanced at each other before approaching.

"This young lady came here in search of the one she loved, who was beyond the door. She was able to rescue him, and my beloved Maris. These two are the ones who sealed the door and ended its curse. And so, in their honor, I wish to declare today a holiday for us, and for the whole world. I wish to call this day Atarashi Chiheisen, which means 'new horizon'. As this is the new start for our entire world. Sora, Kairi, thank you."

The two blushed as the room exploded in applause. Hurrying back into the crowd, Kairi covered her face. "He should've warned us."

"You deserve it Kairi. After all you've done. You changed this world." Sora smiled warmly.

"Sora…"

As Maris and Yozora stepped off the pedestal near the doors, music began wafting through the room.

Parting, the crowd made a space in the middle of the room, as Yozora and Maris began to dance.

"Kairi, would you like to join them?"

"Sure."

The two walked into the center, Kairi's heart fluttering as Sora put his hand around her waist.

"Kairi, when we get home, I never want to leave your side again. If I have to go on another journey, I want you with me."

Really?

"But won't I mess up the dynamics of your little group?"

"Donald and Goofy won't mind. I'm sure they'd be happy you're tagging along. The more the merrier. And if Donald, because Goofy would never have a problem with it, has an issue, he can take it up with me. But, I want you with me. We can take care of each other. And, as long as we're together, there's nothing we can't do."

"You're right."

Their foreheads touched as they swayed to the music.

"I love you, Kairi."

"I love you, Sora."

The music finally stopped. Sora turned to leave, but the crowd suddenly gasped, and he turned back.

Behind them, Yozora dropped to one knee before Maris, taking her hand.

"Maris… I have wanted to ask you this for so long. Will you marry me?"

"Of course!" The young woman threw herself against the king, knocking him on his back, as their lips locked.

The guests laughed and cheered as the couple sat up.

"Congratulations!" Kairi cheered.

"Yeah," Sora smiled, "I hope you two live happily ever after!"

"So do we."

Pushing himself up before helping Maris stand, Yozora locked eyes with Sora. "And you better ask Kairi to marry you soon, especially after all she's done for you."

"I think we're a bit young, but…" Sora's hand slipped into Kairi's, "I don't think such a moment is too far away."

Oh.

Oh my.

How…

How do you respond to that!?

Kairi just giggled.

* * *

"Did I tell you how much I like that new outfit of yours?"

"No." Kairi laughed as she put her beret on.

"Well, it looks great, and the hat really works for you."

Kairi took some of her belongings and put them in a bag as Sora stared at the mural on her wall. "Who painted that?'

"Yozora."

He smiled. "It looks amazing. You've made some great friends here."

"I really have. I'm going to miss them."

"Remember, as long as they're in your heart, you'll never be far away."

"I know." Zip. With her bag packed, Kairi threw it over her shoulder.

One more time, she walked from her room, across the skybridge, and down to the main lobby of headquarters.

Everyone stood there, waiting.

"Looks like it's time."

"No!" Stella threw her arms around Kairi. "I don't want to say goodbye just yet."

"I know, but I have to go."

Sora smiled. "My friend Leon once said, 'we may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other'. And as long as Kairi remains in your hearts, and you think about her now and then, she'll never truly be gone."

"Thanks Sora." Yozora smiled warmly. "Trust me, we'll never forget her."

"And I'll never forget all of you."

"You better not!" Stella yelled as she pushed a package into Kairi's hands. "And this will make certain."

Pulling away the paper, Kairi looked down at a small black tablet. "It's a digital photo album." Lucky said. "Stella put it together. If you turn it on, it has all the photos we have of you while you were here."

Flipping it on, Kairi smiled as she saw the first night of KTV, shopping with the girls, painting her room, training… and so many more.

"Thank you."

"And, this is from your squad." Aegis handed her a long, thin box.

Kairi pulled off the lid and gasped.

"We know you had to use your necklace to make your Keyblade, so we got you another one."

Lifting it out of the box, Kairi felt tears prick at her eyes as light glinted off the small key that dangled from the end. "Th-thank you so much!"

"Mind if I…" Kairi handed Sora the necklace, and he clipped it around her neck.

Kairi touched it gently. "Thank you… all of you, for everything. I couldn't have done it without you."

Stella ran in for another hug, this time joined by everyone.

Stepping back, Sora pulled out his gummi phone and snapped a photo. Kairi would want every memory she could get.

When everyone pulled back, only Yozora remained. "Kairi, thank you, for everything. If you hadn't shown up… Well, this world is a better place because you came here. Thank you."

"No, thank you for being such a good friend."

Pulling back, Kairi took Sora's hand. "Well, I guess it's time to go. Phinehas is waiting for us in the training room."

"Still can't believe he's from another worldline…"

"Well… goodbye."

"Goodbye!"

"Have a good life!"

"We'll miss you!"

"Take care!"

"Bye!"

A tear trickled down Kairi's cheek as the voices of her friends faded. "I'll miss them."

"I know…"

Sora pushed the training room door open. The master stood in the middle of the room, decked out in his black coat.

"Do you have to wear that?"

"You do know that this coat does more than just look good. It protects from darkness, and I'm way too much of a wuss to travel without it on."

"And how are you a Keyblade master again?"

"Oh just hush and get us home."

Kairi giggled. "Well, I hope Riku and the others are watching like they're supposed to be because we're ready to go!"

…

…

Nothing.

Still nothing.

FLASH!

A bright orb of light appeared against the wall, pulsing.

The way home.

Summoning Kingdom Key-Q, Kairi held it out. A beam of light struck the orb, widening it into a doorway.

"Come on. Let's go home."

Sora took her hand, running into the light. The two laughed as their feet hit the ground of solid light.

"We're going back!"

"Together."

"Our time apart is over, forever!"

As the two laughed, the Master of Masters walked behind them, hands in his pockets.

"Oh… but the real fun hasn't even started yet, kids…"

…

The tunnel of golden light opened up into a hole of white light.

Sora and Kairi, hand in hand, stepped through.

…

…

…

"YOU'RE BACK!"

"We're home!"

* * *

**Thank you everyone for sticking with me on this wild ride!**

**I hope you have enjoyed this fanfic! **

**And while I'm not planning a sequel, you are welcome to join me on some other fanfics that I'm writing. **

**Thank you so much for all the support! **


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